Director Ram Gopal Varma was detained at the Vijayawada airport on 28th April and stopped from holding a press conference about his Telugu film, Lakshmi’s NTR. The Andhra Pradesh high court had stayed the film’s release as it felt, the film would impact the outcome of the elections in the state where 25 seats are at stake. The film depicts the latter stages of life of TDP founder and National Front leader N.T. Rama Rao.
The filmmaker was told at the Vijayawada airport to return to Hyderabad. When the hotel denied him permission for the presser, Varma tweeted that he would hold the press conference on the roadside at Payakapuram in the city. But the police detained him before he could reach the spot. Varma and the film’s producer, Rakesh Reddy, opposed the detention and expressed anger at the police. After five hours of high drama, Varma returned to Hyderabad the same evening.