Ram Gopal Varma releases apology video, denies fleeing arrest

A video message was released from an unidentified location by filmmaker Ram Gopal Varma, who has allegedly been evading arrest by making disparaging remarks about ministers Pawan Kalyan and Nara Lokesh, as well as Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Nara Chandrababu Naidu.

In the video, Varma apologized profusely to those speculating that he was afraid of being arrested and fleeing.

Varma expressed doubt about the several cases filed against him for posts he made on X (formerly Twitter) nearly a year ago, claiming that these were an attempt by the state to persecute him through the police.

"It's ironic that the posts hurt the feelings of random people rather than the individuals I tweeted against," Varma said.

“I am not sure how these cases will be accepted in court. Eventually, the law of the land will take the final call, and I will abide by it as a citizen,” he added.

Varma also stated that he had requested more time from the Andhra Pradesh police to respond after receiving notices from them.

He revealed that his work commitments were the only reason he had been unable to attend the interrogation.

Varma's anticipatory bail request has been postponed by the High Court until Nov 27.

Initially, it was reported that he had fled to Coimbatore. However, recent reports suggest that he is staying at a well-known movie star's farmhouse.

The case was filed after Muttanapalli Ramalingam, the general secretary of the TDP's Maddipadu mandal, filed a complaint against Verma on Nov 10.