A heated argument erupted recently during a producers’ roundtable by Galatta Plus, where Boney Kapoor and Telugu producer Naga Vamsi clashed over the ongoing Bollywood vs South Cinema debate. Vamsi, in his statement, argued that Hindi cinema had reinvented itself thanks to the rise of South Indian films, leading to a tense exchange with Boney Kapoor.
Sanjay Gupta Criticizes Naga Vamsi’s Attitude
Filmmaker Sanjay Gupta did not hold back in his criticism of Naga Vamsi following the altercation. In a post on X (formerly Twitter), Gupta slammed Vamsi’s ‘disgusting attitude,’ referring to him as ‘an obnoxious guy.’ Gupta questioned Vamsi’s disrespectful behavior towards a senior producer like Boney Kapoor, stating, “Who is this obnoxious guy sitting next to a senior producer like Boney Ji and deriding him with his fake vanity? Look at his body language and disgusting attitude.”
Gupta further emphasized that having a few successful films does not give anyone the right to belittle Bollywood, adding, “4/5 hits dene se yeh Bollywood ke baap nahin bane na banienge,” implying that Vamsi should not consider himself the leader of Bollywood.
Sanjay Gupta Calls For Respect
Sanjay Gupta also questioned whether Vamsi would dare to behave similarly with veteran producers like Allu Aravind or Suresh Babu. He wrote, “Would he have the guts to sit in front of senior producers like Allu Aravind Sir or Suresh Babu Sir and speak to them in this manner, pointing his fingers in their face?”
In his critique, Gupta stressed the importance of humility and discipline, lessons he learned from working with Southern film producers. He added, “An obnoxious show of arrogance is the very last thing you would expect from them.”
What Sparked The Debate Between Vamsi and Boney Kapoor?
The argument began when Naga Vamsi interrupted Boney Kapoor during the roundtable, claiming that South Indian cinema had transformed the way Bollywood views filmmaking. Vamsi asserted, “We, South Indians, have changed the way you [Bollywood] look at cinema. You guys [Bollywood] were stuck in making films for Bandra and Juhu.” He pointed to the success of films like Baahubali, RRR, Animal, and Jawan as evidence of this shift.
Boney Kapoor, however, disagreed, stating, “In this forum, we can’t be talking about every bit of knowledge we know. We need to talk in broader terms.” He dismissed Vamsi’s assertion, insisting that Indian cinema had always been rich and diverse. Kapoor also referenced how Pushpa 2’s lead actor, Allu Arjun, acknowledged his admiration for Bollywood icon Amitabh Bachchan, further dismissing the idea that Telugu cinema had been the key to transforming Indian cinema.
