Sai Rajesh shared a clarification video on Twitter.
The makers received an official phone call from the authorities and received an advisory notice from the Commissioner of Police, Hyderabad.
Telugu film Baby, directed by Sai Rajesh Neelam, has recently courted controversy. The film was released on July 14, 2023. It has collected almost Rs 40 crore at the box office. Recently, it received a legal notice related to drug scenes in the film. While streaming the scenes at the theatre and on OTT platforms, it has issued legal warnings; but in Baby’s trailer and songs on YouTube, the audio company missed out on adding a legal warning or censorship in these scenes. The makers received an official phone call from the authorities and received an advisory notice from the Commissioner of Police, Hyderabad. Sai Rajesh mentioned in an interview that the YouTube video missed the legal warning, and this is what led to the notice. He also mentioned that he doesn’t promote the consumption of drugs or alcohol among youth. Rather, he wanted to focus on the consequences of drugs for an individual. To inform the audience regarding the same, the team has released a video on Twitter, where Sai Rajesh Neelam is seen requesting the youth not to indulge themselves in such activities.
In the video, he stated, “The film Baby has received an advisory notice from the Commissioner of Police, but it’s not only about the case. There is a drug scene between the characters Sita and Vaishnavi in the film. The scene was shot to portray the difficulties one may face due to misleading friendships.” He further stated, “When released on OTT and theatres, we had given legal warnings about not using drugs, but the songs uploaded by the audio companies missed the warning on YouTube. I have also explained this to the CP”.
Sai Rajesh Neelam further added that he feels that no director, writer, or public figure should promote such things, and if anyone indulges in such activities, the team of Baby will feel guilty. The makers are not trying to promote such activities. He clarified these details for the police commissioner, as well as his followers and the audience.
As per reports, Baby had earned approximately Rs 7.4 crore in pre-release business and grossed Rs 90 crore worldwide. The film was made on a small budget, but the audience was impressed with its outcome. After its release, it got into a controversy regarding some scenes, which appeared to be influenced by films like Arjun Reddy and RX 100. The makers had clarified all the controversies, and the film is marked as one of the highest-grossing films in the Telugu film industry.