Filmmaker Sandeep Reddy Vanga has responded to criticism of his films following the chainsaw attack on a Class 10 student in Andhra Pradesh, saying that a tragedy should be met with empathy rather than attempts to find a scapegoat in cinema.
Taking to X, the Animal director said the focus should be on the victims and understanding the larger problem instead of blaming films.
“When someone commits a heinous crime, the first response should be empathy & an attempt to understand the larger problem. Not finding a convenient scapegoat in cinema. It is becoming increasingly clear that your concern is not for the victims or their families, but that you’re using a horrific tragedy as a dirty excuse to settle your personal scores,” he wrote.
Vanga also criticised some members of the film industry for using the incident to target other filmmakers and actors. “This is especially directed at those failed frustrated jobless male/female actors, few directors, producers & parasites, who suddenly appoint themselves as social reformers whenever an opportunity arises to take a dig at someone else’s work. A tragedy deserves empathy not opportunism. Learn the difference,” he added.
The controversy follows an alleged chainsaw attack at a school in Raptadu, in Andhra Pradesh’s Anantapur district. A 21-year-old man, identified as Hemanth, allegedly entered a classroom during a Class 10 lesson and attacked a 15-year-old girl. Another student, Lakshmi, was injured while trying to protect her classmate.
According to preliminary police findings, the accused was reportedly related to the victim and had allegedly been stalking her before attacking her after she rejected his advances.
The incident brought renewed scrutiny to a classroom sequence in Vanga’s film Animal, featuring Ranbir Kapoor entering a school with a loaded gun. Filmmaker Ram Gopal Varma also weighed in on the debate, rejecting the idea that cinema should be blamed for violence. “Blaming films for rise in violence is like blaming Ramayana for rise in kidnappings,” he wrote on X.