The Iranian Embassy in Zimbabwe has turned to Telugu cinema to respond to US President Donald Trump’s threats against Iran, posting a 58-second clip from Nandamuri Balakrishna’s action film Bhagavanth Kesari on X on Wednesday with a pointed message aimed at the American president.

“Trump talks about annihilating Iran. But he knows Iran is not defenseless. Since we informed, they have recently been watching Bollywood instead of Hollywood,” the embassy wrote alongside the clip. The post incorrectly referred to the clip as Bollywood. Bhagavanth Kesari is a Telugu-language film, making it Tollywood, not Bollywood. The distinction was immediately pointed out by Indian social media users, many of whom found the error as entertaining as the trolling itself.

What the clip shows

The clip chosen by the embassy is from one of the most over-the-top action sequences in Bhagavanth Kesari, directed by Anil Ravipudi. In the scene, Balakrishna’s character uses what appears to be a manhole cover as a shield while seated calmly on a chair as dozens of armed men fire at him from the opposite end. After the firing stops, he mounts a gun but does not use it. Instead, he launches large gas cylinders at his attackers, sending them flying.

Trump talks about annihilating Iran.

But he knows Iran is not defenseless.

Since we informed they have recently been watching Bollywood instead of Hollywood. pic.twitter.com/v6Le8zkH5X

— Iran Embassy in Zimbabwe (@IRANinZIMBABWE) September 23, 2026

Trump’s UNGA threats

The embassy’s post came in direct response to Trump’s address at the United Nations General Assembly 2026, where he escalated his rhetoric against Iran amid the ongoing conflict in the Gulf, which began nearly seven months ago. Trump reiterated that a major decision had been made on the course of the war and presented what he described as two options for dealing with Iran: “annihilating the Islamic Republic and doing it quickly” versus “driving them into hell with no chance of survival and no hope of future greatness or generations.”

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Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian delivered a forceful address at the same assembly, rejecting Trump’s characterisation of Iran as a terrorist state and defending his country as a victim rather than a perpetrator of terrorism. “We will never bow our head or bend at the knee,” Pezeshkian said.

During his speech, Pezeshkian held up images of children killed in the Minab school attack and directly blamed the United States and Israel for providing the weapons used. “I come from an Iran where, in truth, they bombed a school. You see these children? These children perished under bombs with weapons used by the US and Israel. They were innocent and had committed no crimes,” he said. The US delegation walked out of the hall in protest during Pezeshkian’s speech.

The Bhagavanth Kesari post is not the first time Iran has used Indian cinema to mock the United States on social media. In a previous incident, the Iranian Embassy in Tunisia used an Akshay Kumar meme based on the actor’s famous fake-crying scene to mock the capture of a US underwater drone by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC). “Lost an underwater drone. Oil is nearing $100. Elections are coming. How’s it going, Trump?” the post had read.

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About Bhagavanth Kesari

Bhagavanth Kesari, released in October 2023, is a Telugu action drama directed by Anil Ravipudi and starring Nandamuri Balakrishna in the lead alongside Sreeleela. Produced under Shine Screens and distributed by Dil Raju under Sri Venkateswara Creations, the film collected approximately ₹120 crore at the worldwide box office. The action sequences, choreographed by Ram-Lakshman, were among the film’s most talked-about elements.