Rana Daggubati's IIFA Comments On Sam, Mahesh Babu Divide Netizens: Offensive Or Harmless Fun?

Rana Daggubati seems to have miffed certain Tollywood fans with his viral comments as host of the IIFA Utrsavam, which aired on TV recently. On stage, Rana engaged in fun banter with HanuMan star Teja Sajja and his former sister-in-law Samantha, but many took his comments seriously and began trolling him on social media. However, it needs to be noted that jokes abound in the awards ceremony, and Rana, as host, only fulfilled his commitment to his work.

Rana Daggubati and Teja Sajja's banter a dig at Mahesh Babu ?

Rana Daggubati and Teja Sajja hosted the IIFA Utsavam event and indulged in a light-hearted conversation, often mentioning and taking harmless digs at their Tollywood colleagues. Rana, placing a hand on Teja's shoulder, praised him, saying, “He’s still the same, away from controversies, very soft-spoken, the heartthrob of millions, the lover boy, the action star, the one and only...” Surprised, Teja interrupted Rana and asked him to stop. But Rana jokingly added, “I’m talking about Mahesh Babu.”

Rana continued by saying that Mahesh Babu and Teja share a similar journey, from being child actors to now. “He’s a superstar; you’re a superhero. Both of you came on Sankranthi,” Rana said. Teja, sensing the sensitive topic, playfully asked him to stop mentioning the “Sankranthi matter”. The video ended with Rana teasing, “Why, is it a sensitive topic?” It is known that Mahesh Babu's Guntur Kaaram and Teja Sajja's HanuMan arrived earlier this year in a clash on Sankranthi. Guntur Kaaram received mixed reviews, while HanuMan came on top at the box office.

However, Teja and Rana's banter offended many Mahesh Babu fans. One thing was overlooked here. Awards shows are known for their light-hearted humour and are designed in a way that makes the audiences laugh. Some even realised this and defended the IIFA host duo but others continued to troll them.

Rana teases Samantha, but did he cross the line?

Similarly, Rana also engaged in banter with Samantha on the IIFA stage. The Family Man star received the Woman Of The Year award from Vicky Kaushal and spoke about her comeback after taking a break due to ill health. After she was done, Rana joked, “Samantha went from Tollywood to Hollywood. Went from my sister-in-law to sister.” This made her laugh, even though it was in reference to her divorce from Naga Chaitanya.

Rana also said he would call Samantha by a different name years ago. “I’ve called her Samantha Ruthless Prabhu since we were kids,” he said, asking her, “But where did comedy Sam go?” The Citadel star replied, “Comedy Sam…controversial Sam. She went to sleep; good night.”