Controversy

Telugu actor Anasuya allegedly breaks fan’s phone after denying selfie, complaint filed
A police complaint stated that Anasuya allegedly grabbed the boy's hand and broke the phone when he tried to take a selfie with her.
Image: Facebook/Anasuya Bharadwaj

Popular anchor-actor Anasuya Bharadwaj was at the centre of a controversy on Tuesday after a police complaint was filed against her for allegedly breaking a fan's phone.

According to reports, a woman approached the Tarnaka police station in Hyderabad along with her son, and said that Anasuya had broken their mobile phone.

The incident occurred on Monday as Anasuya was stepping out of her mother's residence in Tarnaka. The complainant stated that the boy had approached the actor for a selfie, following which she allegedly grabbed the phone and flung it.

“Anasuya had gone to Tarnaka area on some work and a kid who happened to spot her on the road, approached her to take a selfie with her. Anasuya, who doesn’t like  this sort of thing, grabbed the mobile phone from the kid’s hand and flung it down, damaging it in the process,” the police complaint stated.

"Yes, we have received a complaint regarding this today. We are looking at the evidence and enquiring into this matter. From what we know, Anasuya had refused to take a selfie and while she was hurriedly leaving, the boy's phone broke," G Jagan, SHO Osmania University Police Station, told ToI.

As news of the incident spread, Anasuya took to Twitter, and in a series of tweets, said, "Not that the country needs such news, but to those to whom I am answerable. I'm sorry her phone broke but I think its not fair that i should be blamed for what I reportedly didn't do. We need our privacy." 

However, as she received flak for the tweets, which were dubbed insensitive, she deactivated her Twitter account. She also deactivated her Facebook account.

"Learn how to behave after becoming a celebrity. Deleting Twitter is not the answer for the breaking phone of a common person. This is how you treat people who ask for a selfie. Shame on you!" a Twitter user said. 

However, she also received support, with one user saying, “What you did today morning is absolutely fine. I don’t understand why our people don’t respect privacy and stress.”

Anasuya made her acting debut with the 2003 movie Naaga, but got her big break with TV show Jabardasth, before going on to act in films like Soggade Chinni Nayana, Kshanam, and Winner.