Hrudaya Kaleyam (Heart of Liver), a low-budget comic entertainer with an unlikely hero and an unlikely subject, seems to have rubbed some the wrong way. Its director Steven Shankar and debutant hero Sampoornesh Babu were not only abused but also assaulted at the Westin Hotel near Hitech City on Saturday night.
Some customers of the hotel noticed Shankar and Babu writhing in pain with bleeding injuries in the washroom and alerted the police who identified the assailant and reportedly took him into custody.
According to DCP (Madhapur) Kanthi Rana Tata, Steven Shankar and Babu went to the hotel to celebrate the film’s success. “They consumed liquor and some youngsters, who were also consuming liquor at the next table, picked up an argument with them. The youngmen criticised the film. A few minutes later, Steven Shanker went to the washroom. One of the youngsters, Ranjit, followed him there too. The duo had an argument once again and in the heat of the moment, Ranjit assaulted Shankar,” he explained.
Shankar is undergoing treatment at a hospital and his condition is said to be stable. Ranjit, who allegedly branded Babu the worst actor, assaulted him too when he went to the rescue of Shankar. The police registered cases under Section 324 (causing hurt) and 506 (punishment for criminal intimidation) of the IPC against the accused.
Hrudaya Kaleyam hit the screens on April 4. In the run up to its release, Babu created buzz in the social media with netizens welcoming ‘Sampu’s’ bizarre theatrics. The film was also released in the US.