The hero worship of film actors is not uncommon in southern states. This would often translate into toxic online fan wars and orchestrated troll attacks, with the fans refusing to tolerate any criticism of their favourite star or their movie. This toxic behaviour, however, usually remains in the realm of the virtual world. But things turned violent on Friday, June 16, when a filmgoer was physically assaulted by actor Prabhas’s fans for stating that his latest release Adipurush was awful.
The unsuspecting movie watcher, who is yet to be identified, was sharing his opinion about the movie with the YouTube content creators waiting outside the Prasads multiplex in Hyderabad, to report on the first-day audience response to the big-budget film. But as the man stated that the visual effects in the film were terrible and that Prabhas did not look apt for the role, he was surrounded by Prabhas’s fans, who took offence to his views. After initially threatening him with abusive language for speaking his mind, they soon resorted to assault, which was all caught on camera.
After the video of the incident was shared online, many netizens condemned the violence, with some even tagging the Telangana police in the replies and seeking their intervention. A section of people, however, also seemed to endorse the crime. As of now, it has not been confirmed if the victim approached the police and filed a complaint.
The video contains abusive language. Viewer discretion advised
ఆదిపురుష్ సినిమా బాలేదు అన్నందుకు కొట్టిన ప్రభాస్ ఫ్యాన్స్#Adipurush #AdipurushReview #Prabhas #PrabhasFans pic.twitter.com/QXDFV4Jmec
— Telugu Scribe (@TeluguScribe) June 16, 2023
Adipurush, directed by Om Raut, is an adaptation of the Hindu epic Ramayana and was released in theatres on Friday. The film features Prabhas, who enjoys a huge fan following in the Telugu states, in the lead role of Rama. Bollywood actor Kriti Sanon plays Sita, while Saif Ali Khan appears as the antagonist Ravana.
The film was released in five languages, namely Hindi, Telugu, Tamil, Malayalam, and Kannada. Considering the film was made with a reported budget of Rs 600 crore, both the Telangana and the Andhra Pradesh governments had allowed single screen theatres to hike the ticket price by Rs 50, besides permitting 4 am special screenings to benefit the producers.
Adipurush was initially supposed to be released in January. However, the teaser of the film, which offered a glimpse into its visuals, attracted heavy criticism from the audience for its poor visual effects. The production house then had to rework the effects, leading to the delay in the film’s release.