Art directors snub Touchriver for not being Telugu?

Art director-turned-filmmaker Rajesh Touchriver, who made the National-award winning ‘Naa Bangaaru Talli’, is unhappy that he was ignored for the launch of a building that was funded by art directors. Venting out his frustration on Facebook, Rajesh said that he would have graced the occasion had he received intimation from his fraternity.

“When I questioned the reason from the association’s top authority Ashok Koralath, who is also from Kerala, he responded that I was not a Telugu and that I’m no more in the union,” said Rajesh. Rajesh was furious as he had previously paid for the union’s membership. “I wonder if any art director from the industry in the last two decades has brought name and awards to our Telugu cinema nationally and internationally.

My Karmabhoomi is Telugu and the language itself is my mother. I am here for the development of the Telugu film industry.” Rajesh had earlier worked as an art director for films like ‘Student No. 1’, ‘Manasanta Nuvve’ and ‘Nuvvu Leka Nenu Lenu’. The building was launched on Sunday and was graced by the likes of Telangana Cinematography Minister Talasani Srinivas Yadav, Jubilee Hills MLA Maganti Gopinath, Dasari Narayana Rao, Tanikella Bharani and VV Vinayak among others.