Ram Gopal Varma On Mahesh Babu's 'Bollywood Can't Afford Me' Comment: I Didn't Understand What He Meant

Director Ram Gopal Varma has reacted to the controversial comment made by Telugu star Mahesh Babu when asked about his debut in Bollywood. The Rangeela director said that while it is the Superstar's choice as an actor, he didn't understand what the Maharshi actor meant when he said that Bollywood can't afford him.

Ram Gopal Varma told India Today, "It is his choice as an actor. But I honestly didn't understand what he meant by Bollywood can't afford him. I am still unable to figure out what he meant by that because the point is, if you see the recent South Indian films, they were dubbed and released and they made whatever money they did."

He continued, "Also, first of all, Bollywood is not a company. It is a label given by the media. An individual movie company or a production house will ask you to do a film at a particular cost, so how can he generalise Bollywood, I don't understand that. Bollywood is not a company, so his context is not understood."

For those who don't know, Mahesh Babu recently found himself amidst controversy after he addressed a question about his Hindi film debut at the trailer launch of Adivi Sesh's upcoming multilingual, Major.

Mahesh Babu had said, "I did get a lot of offers in Hindi, but I don't think they can afford me. I don't want to waste my time working in an industry which can't afford me. The stardom and the respect I get here [in South] is huge, so I never really thought of leaving my industry and going to some other industry. I have always thought of doing films here and becoming bigger. My dream is coming true now and I can't be happier."

The actor's comment didn't go down well with Bollywood fans. After receiving backlash on social media, Mahesh Babu's team issued a press note in which the actor clarified that he loves all languages and hasn't belittled any industry. Later, while speaking with reporters during the promotions of his film, the Tollywood superstar said that he doesn't need to work in Hindi films and wants to work only in the Telugu Film Industry.

Meanwhile, Mahesh Babu's latest film Sarkaru Vaari Paata has been released in theatres today.