Peddi actor Jagapathi Babu claims ‘bad reviews’ helped Ram Charan film achieve success: ‘Had to win twice’

At a ‘thank you meet’ for Peddi, Jagapathi Babu spoke about the backlash the film has received since it released. Here's what he said.

The team of Peddi held a ‘thank you meet’ in Hyderabad on Monday to talk about the film’s box office performance over the weekend. Ram Charan, director Buchi Babu Sana and the film’s producer, presenter and distributor were present at the conference. Jagapathi Babu, who played a key role in the film, seemed to indirectly address the backlash for Janhvi Kapoor’s role and thanked those who gave the film ‘bad reviews’. (Also Read: Peddi producer talks about Ram Charan, Janhvi Kapoor film's weak box office performance in Hindi amid backlash)

Ram Charan and Jagapathi Babu are co-stars in Buchi Babu Sana's Peddi.

Jagapathi Babu says Peddi team fought and won twice

At the event, Jagapathi seemed to address the backlash Peddi has received online over how Janhvi’s role was objectified in the film. He said, “Peddi adadu, poradadu, gelichadu. Gelichaka, Peddi team, release aina taravata, adalsi vachindi, malli poradalsi vachindi, malli gelicharu. Rendu sarlu gelavadam annadi ee okka aate ayuntadi bahusa. (Peddi played, struggled, won. Even after winning after its release, the Peddi team still had to play, still had to fight before winning. Maybe this is the only game where you had to win twice).”

He then claimed that the film’s subject was such that the audience could have panned it. “Keeping aside the ₹300 crore or ₹400 crore it has made, this film is so razor-edge that the person who bought a ₹300 ticket will decide its fate. We are such a vulnerable industry that our fate is in their thinking,” said Jagapathi, adding, “In such an industry, it’s not easy to get a producer for a story like this, let alone convince a star like Ram Charan to act in it. Had it gone sideways, people would’ve panned the film. But he (Ram) has shouldered the film well. He was not a man in this film; he was Superman, he was He-Man.”

Later at the conference, Jagapathi took the mic to thank the media present there and the audience. He said, “To everybody, once again, thanks. And to those who wrote bad reviews, I thank you even more. Because you have unknowingly helped us a lot.”

The backlash Peddi received

While the initial reviews of Buchi’s Peddi, which focused on the film’s overarching theme of identity and were favourable, soon chatter resumed about how Janhvi was hypersexualised in the film. Her character is even assaulted by the titular character, which is later passed off as love and romance. As everyone, from those in the film industry to the audience, reacted to the backlash, Buchi apologised and said the objectionable scenes would be removed from the film. Peddi grossed ₹233 crore worldwide in its first weekend.