Ravi Teja faces flak for using ‘derogatory’ term to describe Irumudi child artist Nakshathra: ‘Wrong on so many levels’

Shiva Nirvana’s upcoming film Irumudi is releasing in theatres on August 21. The film stars Ravi Teja in the lead with child star Nakshathra as his co-star. At the pre-release event, in a light-hearted moment, Ravi used a term to describe Nakshatra. While the term he used has been used as a term of endearment in some regions of the Telugu states, it has usually held a negative connotation.

At the pre-release event of Irumudi, Nakshatra asked Ravi , “What nickname would you like to give me?” When the actor said the term twice, as those around him awkwardly laughed, the child artist said, “Sorry, I don’t know the meaning.” Ravi replied, “I will tell you later.” Some in the audience hooted and laughed loudly at that. While the term, which literally means overtly mature, has been used as a term of endearment in the past for someone precocious, it is also a derogatory term used for women.

The internet, however, wasn’t as kind towards Ravi as the audience at the event. As soon as clips of the interaction began doing the rounds, he was slammed for using the term. “Orey chinna pillala meeda entra idhi (Hey, why are you saying this to a child?),” wrote one shocked X (formerly Twitter) user. “Rei em matladthunnav ra (what are you even saying), that too to a child and also this is a devotional movie!! This is wrong on so many levels.” wrote another.

“She’s literally a child what a disgusting human he is,” wrote one Redditor, while another commented, “As is your fan base, so are your antics.” “You have a daughter, would you describe her this way,” questioned one X user. “She's a kid what kind of a language is that,” slammed another. “Vulgar batch antha cinema industry lo ne untaru ento.. chi chi (The cinema industry is filled with such vulgar people),” claimed one.

Some X users explained that it could also be a term of endearment, “chinna pillalni mudhu chesepudu antaru...endhuko telidhu..but antaru...vintha ga untadhi but affection adhi… (I don’t know why, but they sometimes use it as a term of endearment towards children. It sounds strange, but it’s affection),” wrote one. Another added, “Are babu palleturlalo amma nannalu and menamamlu prematho ilanti padalu vaduthu untaru adi tappem kadu ra (In villages, families use such terms, they’re not wrong).”

Irumudi sees Ravi play an alcoholic father with a violent past who takes up Ayyappa deeksha and has to abstain from his usual ways. Nakshathra plays his daughter in the film. Priya Bhavani Shankar also stars in it.

Despite having a Master's degree in Journalism and over a decade of experience in print and digital media as a field reporter and sub-editor at organisations such as The Times of India and Reader's Digest, Neeshita Nyayapati remains a movie buff first and a Chief Content Producer second. She fell in love with movies in childhood and believes nothing matches the magic of watching a good film that moves you with a warm tub of popcorn in hand. Her love for writing about cinema follows that. Come Friday, you'll find her at her happy place, the movies, catching the latest rom-com or masala offering, for reviews or otherwise.