After over a year of its successful theatrical run, Hi Nanna, the emotional drama starring Nani and Mrunal Thakur, has found itself in the midst of controversy. The film, which earned critical acclaim and commercial success, premiered on Netflix in January 2024. However, it has now come under fire from popular Kannada filmmaker Pushkara Mallikarjunaiah.
On Instagram, Mallikarjunaiah accused the team behind Hi Nanna of copying ideas from his 2020 movie Bheemasena Nalamaharaja, which had a direct digital premiere on Amazon Prime Video. Mallikarjunaiah called out Nani and the film’s team, tagging the actor’s official handle and writing, “What a cheap thing to do.”
The controversy has sparked a debate in the film industry, as Bheemasena Nalamaharaja was released with a unique distribution strategy, skipping theatrical release to debut directly on the OTT platform. The accusations have yet to be addressed by Nani or the Hi Nanna team, but the situation has drawn attention to the ongoing concerns over originality and inspiration in the film industry.