Telangana RTC unhappy with Allu Arjun's Rapido ad; sends notice
Stylish star Allu Arjun has found himself in a soup over his recent advertisement with bike taxi company Rapido. Upset with the portrayal of state public transport in the ad, the Telangana State Road Transport Corporation (TSRTC) has sent a legal notice to both the actor and private firm, asking the app to withdraw its commercial. It has also warned of taking legal action.
Why does it matter?
In the ad, currently airing on YouTube, Tollywood's Bunny plays a dosa seller, who tells a customer that it is better to travel by a Rapido bike than a crowded public transport bus. In the background we see an overcrowded bus screeching to a stop as passengers hustle to get on or off. Recently, Ranveer Singh featured in a similar Rapido ad in Hindi.
Degrading competitor 'not good business ethics': TSRTC MD
Managing Director of the TSRTC, VC Sajjanar, sent out a video message after the ad aired, pointing out that degrading the competitor brand was "not good business ethics." "#TSRTC is at the Service of #commonman. Eminent Personalities Should Promote Ads Which Improve The #publictransport (sic)," the MD later tweeted, alongside noting there was "no personal interest in sending the legal notices."
No response from Rapido has come yet; ad still running
Sajjanar, who was previously the Cyberabad Police Commissioner, held instead of promoting private firms, actors should be part of advertisements that promote public transport "for a better and environmentally cleaner society." Certain netizens also supported the TSRTC. There has been no response from Rapido or Arjun till now. The advertisement in the middle of the controversy is still up at the time of writing.
Catch the ad in question here
Meanwhile, Arjun is gearing up for release of 'Pushpa'
Currently, the actor is busy with his upcoming film, Pushpa: The Rise Part I. The Sukumar directorial is poised for a December 17 release in cinema halls. This comes after a prolonged delay due to the pandemic. Notably, the delay also led to a hike in the budget. The multilingual project also stars Rashmika Mandanna, Anasuya Bharadwaj, and Fahadh Faasil in pivotal roles.
