HCA reveals why Jr. NTR was absent from the award show: Report

RRR recently took home four Hollywood Critics Association Awards awards. While actor Ram Charan, composer MM Keeravaani, and director SS Rajamouli were present at the ceremony to receive their awards, Jr. NTR was not. After the occasion, fans began to wonder why the Baadshah actor wasn't present at the ceremony. Jr. NTR was unable to attend the ceremony in the US, and HCA has now spoken out to explain why.

Now the Hollywood Critics Association’s official Twitter account shared on Tuesday (February 28), "Dear RRR fans & supporters, We did invite N. T. Rama Rao Jr. to attend the #HCAFilmAwards but he is shooting a new film in India. He will be receiving his awards from us shortly. Thank you for all your love and support. Sincerely, The Hollywood Critics Association."

In the meantime, HCA disclosed what the actor's publicist had told them after a fan pointed out that Jr NTR wasn't actually filming but rather was unable to attend the function due to the tragic passing of his cousin brother Nandamuri Taraka Ratna. HCA responded with a tweet, "He was originally shooting a movie which is why he couldn’t attend. His brother's passing happened afterwards and is why he stepped away from the movie. This is what his publicist told us."

According to reports, Jr NTR had originally intended to leave for the United States on February 20, but he had to reschedule the trip following the passing of his cousin, actress Nandamuri Taraka Ratna, on February 18. His HCA trophy will now be presented to him when he arrives in the US for the Oscar publicity tour.

After receiving numerous honours from around the world, including a Golden Globe, RRR is now vying for an Oscar in the Original Song category for its song Naatu Naatu. The other nominees that RRR is up against are Lift Me Up from Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, This is Life from Everything Everywhere All At Once, Hold My Hand from Top Gun: Maverick, and Applause from Tell IT Like A Woman.