Why Vijayendra Prasad’s Narrative Humiliates Ambedkar

V. Vijayendra Prasad is the father of S. S. Rajamouli, one of the highest-grossing film directors in the Telugu cinema industry. The father has made a lifetime career out of writing film stories, and in recent years, the son has directed several big-budget films based on his father’s stories. Meanwhile, both the father and son have gained a respectable place within the Hindutva-aligned ruling and cultural networks. Hence, Vijayendra Prasad was recommended by the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh-Bharatiya Janata Party (RSS-BJP) government at the Centre for Rajya Sabha membership through the President of India, with the view that the father-son duo suit their Hindutva promotional agendas. 

Such co-option of the father and son was cemented after the commercial success of their films Baahubali 1, Baahubali 2, and RRR. All these films are based on stories written by Vijayendra Prasad. These stories are largely fictional, without any historical evidence or connection to real human events, and were brought to the screen using highly sensational graphic technology. Quite tragically, much of the money minted from these unscientific movies has come from the audience of these films – the youth among the rural poor and slum dwellers. These films stand in contrast to socially-grounded narratives like Slumdog Millionaire, an Oscar-winning movie based on a well-researched story set in the Mumbai slums.

The father-son duo’s projects do not aim at any social reform. Their main goal appears to be profit-making by inducing sentimentalism into so-called historical narratives, mixed with a dose of nationalism, which is a growing trend across industries, particularly the film industry.

The piece was triggered by what Vijayendra Prasad recently stated in a public meeting. He said was writing a story on B. R. Ambedkar, which obviously is intended for a film. He narrated a brief storyline at the meeting. The short video clip of that narration went viral, as he turned it into a self-confession about the caste sins of his (Kamma) ancestors. He claimed that his ancestors had committed heinous crimes against Ambedkar’s community and offered an apology, repeatedly saying “sorry” on behalf of 'his ancestors', even though nobody had asked him to do so.

However, Prasad had remained silent when similar heinous crimes were committed by members of the same community in Karamchedu in 1985. The ongoing atrocities against Dalits and Adivasi don't warrant an apology, according to him, as reporter in the media. It appears that he used the wording "crimes committed by my ancestors" to probably indicate that no crimes are happening now -- It is also unfortunate that he still seems proud that he hails from an 'upper caste'.

Prasad then went on to narrate a supposed film scene about Ambedkar and his first wife, Ramabai.

Immediately after the video surfaced, Dalit-Ambedkarite intellectuals expressed strong objection. One Battula Ramprasad filed a complaint at the Saidabad Police Station on February 26, 2026, seeking action under the SC/ST Atrocities Act. Since Vijayendra Prasad belongs to a powerful political circle and is now a Rajya Sabha member with RSS/BJP support, the police have not yet registered an FIR. This is despite the fact that a well-known Dalit lawyer, Srikanth Chintala, practicing in the Telangana High Court issued a legal notice on March 4, 2026 to the Deputy Commissioner of Police and others, asking why an FIR had not yet been registered. There appears to be no movement on the file so far.

The story that Vijayendra Prasad narrated in the public meeting, as mentioned in the complaint and visible in the purported video, is as follows:

He stated that Ambedkar and Ramabai were married when he was 14 years old and she was 9. According to him, during the marriage, as per shastric rituals, they were asked to go around the sacred fire three times with Ambedkar’s dhoti and Ramabai’s sari joined by a knot. He then claimed that Ramabai untied the knot, ran fast, and declared that she had won the race.

There is no evidence in any written biography of Ambedkar that such an incident took place during his marriage. This appears to be a fictional addition meant to portray the marriage as strictly according to Hindu shastras. The claim that Ramabai “ran away from the ritual” seems to be an added dramatisation. The underlying message seems to be that Ambedkar’s marriage was conducted fully according to Hindu religious customs. Where is the evidence for this?

The second part of the narrated story in the purported video, which Prasad reportedly claims to be "well researched" is more disturbing. According to him, while Ramabai was on her deathbed, she asked for a glass of water from her village tank. Ambedkar, dressed in a suit and tie, supposedly went to the village to fetch water. A landlord there asked him about his caste. When Ambedkar said he was a Dalit, the landlord allegedly forced him to remove his clothes and made him stand in a loincloth (“gochi” in Telugu). When Ambedkar asked for water, the landlord ordered someone to give him salt water by urinating in a glass, and that liquid was thrown on his face. The landlord then remarked that some among the Dalits are born to upper-caste men and that they don't care about caste when Dalit women have sex with upper caste men -- suggesting that Ambedkar himself might have been born to an upper-caste landlord.

This is an extremely offensive story attributed to Ambedkar without any evidence from authentic historical writings. Vijayendra Prasad appears to have fabricated this narrative in a way that humiliates Ambedkar and tarnishes his image. It sounds like one of the most casteist fictionalisations around the life of Ambedkar.

No scholar or follower of Ambedkar can tolerate such false stories about a national leader. This deserves national condemnation and serious action, regardless of a person’s background or status. If a film is made based on such a story about Ambedkar, it would be deeply harmful. When stories are fabricated about national heroes whose lives are well documented, one can imagine what kind of distortions could be created for the sake of commercial gain.

If a writer can venture into the life of a leader whose biography is among the most researched in modern India and still “invent” such incidents, he can distort the legacy of any historical figure. Therefore, scholars across caste and community lines must condemn this kind of irresponsible storytelling and must demand appropriate legal action.

Vijayendra Prasad’s Telugu speech link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SI9eImUyK84

The writer is a Political Theorist, Social Activist and Author.  His latest book is The Shudra Rebellion. The views are personal.