The tale goes that the original Valmiki was a hunter and a dacoit called Ratnakara who becomes a transformed man because of sage Narada. Maharishi Valmiki subsequently went on to write the Ramayana.
In the 21st century, however, a Valmiki has had to change its name. At the eleventh hour, Telugu movie Valmiki has bowed to pressure from Boya Valmiki community over the title and the character holding a gun, the makers changed its name to Gaddhalakonda Ganesh, the name of the lead character in the film played by Varun Tej. This is because the Boya Hakkula Porata Samiti had filed a petition in the Telangana High court and also represented to the Kurnool and Anantapur district collectors.
“Concerns were raised by the Boya community about the previous title – Valmiki. So we have decided to change the film’s title to Gaddalakonda Ganesh to ensure smooth release of the film across Telangana and Andhra Pradesh. We feel it doesn’t hamper the prospects of the film and has decided to alter the title,” said director Harish Shankar and Ram Achanta and Gopi Achanta, producers of the film.
The movie stars Pooja Hegde and Atharva and releases on 20 September.
Categories: At the movies, telugu