Telugu star Nandamuri Balakrishna doesn't 'know who AR Rahman is', says 'Bharat Ratna is equal to my father's toenail'

Netizens had a field day on Wednesday, after an interview of Telugu star and MLA Nandamuri Balakrishna went viral. In the interview, the actor says he doesn`t know who Oscar-winning music composer AR Rahman is, and adds that Bharat Ratna, India`s highest civilian award, is equal to the "toenail" of his father, late actor-politician NT Rama Rao.

"I don't know who AR Rahman is. He won an Oscar and I don`t even know who he is. He gives a hit once in a decade," said Balakrishna, in an interview to a Telugu Channel.

Rahman, incidentally, had composed the background score of Balakrishna's 1993 film, "Nippu Ravva".

Speaking about Bharat Ratna, the actor, also known as Ballaya to fans, said: "I feel that Bharat Ratna is equal to my father`s toenail. No award can compensate for the contribution of my family to Tollywood. So, only the awards should feel bad. Not my family or my father."

Soon, a Twitter war erupted, with Rahman fans mercilessly posting memes, and hashtag #whoisbalakrishna started trending.

A fan tweeted: "How can a senior actor like #Balakrishna talk about Indian legend #ARRahman? Will people accept if a similar thing is being spoken by a Tamil actor on #Rajamouli?"

While another one tweeted: "Who is balakrisha the funny actor #whoisbalakrishna."

"Born to spoil is DAD good name.. #whoisbalakrishna this head weight attitude is the biggest reason for people to hate him.. funniest part is he is MLA"

Soon, Balakrishna`s fans were out defending him, saying he was a hero of the masses and a charitable personality.