HYDERABAD: When Nitish Kumar Reddy knelt down at the Melbourne Cricket Ground to celebrate his century against Australia on Saturday, he stood taller than a giant. It was also his way of telling the world where he came from — the land of Telugu movies or Tollywood — which shapes popular culture in the two Telugu states of AP and Telangana.
The third youngest centurion for India in Australia at 21 years and 216 days — after Sachin Tendulkar in 1992 and Rishabh Pant in 2019 — celebrated his 50 'Pushpa' style — airbrushing his beard with the iconic 'jhukega nahi'. But after hitting his century, he became 'Bahubali' — the hero laying his helmet on his bayonet, showcasing his commitment to a cause. A killi (paan) after a hearty dinner and a movie are a part of life in Andhra, and with his celebrations, Nitish paid tribute to what defines swag for many youngsters in this region.
