Hyderabad: A group of Osmania University students Saturday staged protest at the residence of leading Telugu actor Akkineni Nagarjuna, demanding a ban on the Telugu version of the popular reality TV show “Bigg Boss” to be hosted by him.
Raising slogans against the actor, the protestors, who had questioned Nagarjuna’s silence over the allegations made by two female contestants against the show organisers, tried to lay siege to his house in posh Jubliee Hills.
Police arrested the students and shifted them to Jubliee Hills police station. Nagarjuna will be hosting “Big Boss” season 3, which is scheduled to begin next week. The show landed in trouble following allegations of sexual harassment against the local coordinators.
The protestors wondered how Nagarjuna can host a show which has insulted women. News anchor-turned-actor Gayatri Gupta and journalist Swetha Reddy have lodged complaints with police that local organisers of the show sought sexual favours from them. They alleged that four coordinators of the show denied them entry into the show since they had refused to oblige them.
Hyderabad police have registered a case against four members of the reality show. Advocate K. Jagadishwar Reddy filed a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) in the Telangana High Court, seeking a stay on the show. He also wanted the TV shows such as “Bigg Boss” to be subjected to censorship on the lines of film censorship and certification. The PIL is likely to be heard next week.
