Shocking! Ram Gopal Varma taken into police custody, 'Lakshmi's NTR' Vijayawada press meet cancelledApril 28 (AZINS) Filmmaker Ram Gopal Varma was detained by the Andhra Pradesh police on Sunday on his arrival at Vijayawada. He was supposed to hold a press conference at Novotel Hotel at 4 pm for his upcoming film 'Lakshmi's NTR' promotions but the hotel management allegedly cancelled their reservation following 'a warning by someone'.

As he landed at Gannavaram airport in the afternoon and started proceeding towards the city, police stopped Varma and the film unit members on the outskirts and took them back to the airport, the Press Trust of India reported.

"All of us were stopped, made to get down from our cars and forcibly made to sit in their cars. They told us we are not allowed to enter into Vijayawada or stay there. We were dropped at the airport," the film director said in a short video message posted on Twitter.

He said he failed to understand why the police did all this. "Police have a responsibility to maintain law and order but they are unable to say why they are preventing from entering into a city. They have no answer. That's what is happening and I will try to update later," Varma added.

When contacted, an Assistant Commissioner of Police told PTI that there was "no permission" for Varma to conduct a press meet on the road. "We don't know about the hotels but the election code is in force and any public activity requires prior permission. Since there is a possibility of breach of peace, we did not allow the film unit to visit the city," he added.

After getting a clearance from Election Commission and High Court, the NTR biopic is now finally set for May 1 release in Andhra Pradesh (the film hit the screens in all other states on March 29). Varma, along with film's producer Rakesh Reddy and other unit members, planned to publicise the movie ahead of its release but they were stopped from doing the same.

"Press meet of #LakshmisNTR tmrw sunday the 28 th in Vijayawada at 4 pm in Novotel hotel  ..Film releasing MAY 1ST," Varma had announced on Twitter on April 27.

However, things clearly didn't turn out as they had planned.

"I am In police custody now for the only crime of trying to tell truth ..THERE IS NO DEMOCRACY IN ANDHRA PRADESH," Varma tweeted on Sunday afternoon.

"Sorry to inform that the press meet at 4 pm is cancelled because the police stopped us and have barred my entry into Vijaywada and forcibly sending me back to hyderabad ..Hey @ncbn WHERE IS DEMOCRACY ? WHY IS TRUTH BEING BACK STABBED?," he added.

Some time later he posted another message saying,"I can’t communicate because they blocked my insta facebook twitter live"

"This is the state of affairs in AP #LakshmisNTR"

"Rakesh Reddy the producer of #LakshmisNTR understandably angry with the police"

"JAI TDP DEMOCRACY"

Ram Gopal Varma had booked a star hotel for the press conference but they also cancelled their reservation."We wanted to hold the press meet in the hotel but the management cancelled it following a warning by someone. Other hotels and clubs too are scared to accommodate us", Varma said in the short clip, and announced he would be holding the press meet at the NTR Circle in the city.

"Hotels in Vijaywada are being warned not to accommodate #LakshmisNTR team... First Hotel Novotel has cancelled us and now Hotel Ilapuram . This after they have been paid in advance .. The people in power should understand that one can misuse power to delay, but no one can stop truth," Varma tweeted.

'Lakshmi's NTR' is based on the life of Telugu Desam founder and former Chief Minister N T Rama Rao.

The film is a portrayal of the events that led to NTR's 'dethroning' in an intra-party coup in August 1995 by his son-in-law Chandrababu Naidu. Since it allegedly shows the AP Chief Minister in a bad light, the Telugu Desam Party (TDP) had approached the High Court, seeking an order to delay its release, as it would affect voters in 2019 general elections.

The HC had stalled the film till the poll gets over. The polling for Lok Sabha and Assembly was held in Andhra Pradesh on April 11.