Skanda on OTT: Was Ram Pothineni, Sreeleela’s film inspired by the Satyam scam?

Skanda, the first pan-Indian film in the careers of Ram Pothineni, Sreeleela and director Boyapati Sreenu, turned out to be a major disappointment for audiences. The film released in theatres on September 28, a slot that was earlier occupied by Salaar (which now arrives on December 21). Srinivasaa Chitturi produced the film under Srinivasaa Silver Screen, the makers of Custody, The Warriorr, Seetimaarr.

Despite limited publicity, Skanda had good openings at the ticket window but the poor word of mouth limited its box office prospects. Nearly a month after its theatrical run, the action entertainer is now coming to OTT. Disney+ Hotstar acquired the post-theatrical rights of the film and announced the digital premiere date yesterday. The film will land on the streamer on November 2.

Also read: Sreeleela: Skanda opened me to a new school of filmmaking, Boyapati Sreenu extracted my best

Skanda’s pivotal plot revolves around how the protagonist is out to safeguard the future of a top entrepreneur Rama Krishna Raju (played by Srikanth), who’s behind bars and is trapped in a scam by both the CMs of the Telugu states. In the film, the politicians ask Rama Krishna Raju to help them convert black money to white, an idea that the latter isn’t in favour of.

Even as the CMs of both the states warn the influential entrepreneur of dire consequences, Rama Krishna Raju doesn’t budge. He is later arrested for illegal drug dealing at his office premises and for allegedly harassing female employees in his company. Right after Skanda’s release, reports suggested this thread was inspired by IT company Satyam founder Ramalinga Raju’s life.

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Boyapati Sreenu’s life indirectly hints that Ramalinga Raju was trapped in a scandal for his differences with then-Andhra Pradesh CM Y S Rajasekhara Reddy. However, the film takes enough cinematic liberties to avoid any controversy. The director has always made his political inclinations clear in his films and is close to the Nandamuri family (associated with the TDP party).

Also read: Skanda has exhausted me mentally and physically, says actor Ram Pothineni