Iran has turned to Nandamuri Balakrishna and Telugu cinema to mock US President Donald Trump after his warning that he could “annihilate” Iran.

The Iranian Embassy in Zimbabwe shared a 58-second clip from Balakrishna’s 2023 action film ‘Bhagavanth Kesari’ on X, pairing the intense action sequence with a sarcastic message aimed at Trump.

“Trump talks about annihilating Iran. But he knows Iran is not defenseless,” the embassy wrote, before adding a reference to the US film industry: “Since we informed they have recently been watching Bollywood instead of Hollywood.”

The clip shows Balakrishna’s character caught in a tense confrontation with an armed group. Surrounded by men carrying rifles and other weapons, he uses a shield to protect himself as the group opens fire.

The choice of the Nandamuri Balakrishna movie clip appears to be a pop-culture response to Trump’s remarks at the United Nations General Assembly on September 22, where the US president spoke about the possibility of “annihilating” the Islamic Republic.

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Trump had presented what he described as a major decision involving Iran, asking whether the US should pursue a deal that would allow Tehran to rebuild or “annihilate the Islamic Republic” quickly.

The Iranian embassy’s response used the imagery from ‘Bhagavanth Kesari’ to accompany its claim that Iran was “not defenseless”, turning a Telugu action-movie scene into a message directed at the US president.

There is also an Indian cinema twist to the post. Although the embassy referred to Bollywood, ‘Bhagavanth Kesari’ is a Telugu film, making the Balakrishna reference a Tollywood one rather than a Bollywood one.

The unusual combination of a major geopolitical dispute, Trump’s UN remarks and a Balakrishna movie scene has brought Telugu cinema into an otherwise serious US-Iran exchange.

Trump’s ‘annihilate Iran’ remark

Trump made the comments during his September 22 UNGA address while discussing the continuing conflict involving Iran. He said he faced a choice between reaching a deal with Tehran and destroying the Islamic Republic.

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A day later, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian adopted a defiant tone in his own UN address, saying Iran would not “bend at the knee” in the face of pressure from Washington.

The exchange comes amid continuing tensions between Washington and Tehran, even as diplomatic contacts have also taken place around the UN General Assembly.