At the late veteran actor’s funeral, Jr NTR redirected chants of “Jai NTR” to “Jai Kota Srinivasa Rao,” reminding fans of the moment’s solemnity and the legacy being mourned.
New Delhi: 14 July 2025
Telugu cinema star Jr NTR won hearts for his grace and humility at the funeral of legendary actor Kota Srinivasa Rao, where he firmly reprimanded fans for shouting his name during the emotionally charged ceremony. A video that has since gone viral shows Jr NTR pausing mid-speech after fans began chanting “Jai NTR” and correcting them by saying, “Say ‘Jai Kota Srinivasa Rao’ instead,” urging them to show respect to the late actor.
The social media posts praising the RRR star’s social and commendable action got legitimate, undeniable support on social media, and people were apportioning credence to him for doing so in a principled and respectful manner. It was a dilemma of fandom, and it led to a larger discussion about fandom conduct at high-profile events and when fandom becomes disrespectful.
Kota Srinivasa Rao died at 83 years of age after appearing in more than 750 films in various languages as well as receiving the Padma Shri. Rao was notable for appearing alongside Chiranjeevi, Amitabh Bachchan, and Jr NTR himself. He was an MLA in BJP from Vijayawada as well, leaving behind a diverse legacy.
In saluting Kota, Jr NTR declared that Kota was not merely an actor, but a leviathan of the Indian film industry whose contributions will never be extinguished. Jr NTR also reminded a great many that real stardom is about grace, humility, and true respect for those who came before you when he endeavoured to keep the sanctity of the meeting.
