Screw Loose Fans

Back in December 1980, when The Beatles frontman John Lennon was shot dead by a deranged fan in New York, it shook the world. It was the most telling example of just how fans can go to extremes. Over the years, star-struck fans going berserk in support of their celebrities have been a constant across the globe. Back home in India, where celebrities are literally worshipped by fans, fan frenzy has been a regular affair, albeit in different ways. Sometimes, it’s an obsessed fan who wades into the private lives of celebs, judging and making comments about them, or a group of “hurt” fans who resort to violence to teach anyone a lesson who makes a “negative” comment against their idol. But the recent murder case involving Kannada actor Darshan Thoogudeepa touches a new low when it comes to star worship, wherein one fan gets inside his personal space while the other fan mercilessly kills him upon receiving instructions from the actor himself.

Abnormal Circumstances

Actor Harshvardhan Rane expressed concern about these extreme situations to the Hyderabad Chronicle. “Even John Lennon’s killer gave many reasons, which I do not want to discuss as I feel it’s not normal. Such abnormal circumstances are not very rare. Unfortunately, they do happen a lot,” he says, referring to the recent Darshan case. Harshvardhan says one can’t blame a certain fan or a certain star for creating this mania because it's a medium where one tends to basically confuse fandom, confuse love with hurt, and maybe confuse admiration with obsession. “It’s a two-edged sword, and if you've seen a film about a fan of a writer who captures the writer and demands a certain kind of ending to a story, that’s also, you know, a situation,” he points out. So, it is two different emotions getting mixed up, and a healthy way to avoid this would be to maintain healthy communication and distance, he feels.

“It cannot reach a point where the lines are blurred and people take such extreme measures. It’s really unfortunate in this case,” he adds.

RGV’s Take

Interestingly, filmmaker Ram Gopal Varma took to X saying: “A star using one die-hard fan to kill another die-hard fan who was interfering in his personal life is a fit example of the bizarreness of the star worship syndrome. Fans wanting to order how their stars should run their lives is an unavoidable side effect of the same syndrome.”

Unhealthy Phenomenon

Actor Nawab Shah, who has worked in Hindi, Telugu, Tamil, Malayalam, and Kannada films, says the obsession of fans with prioritising the lives and opinions of stars over their own is an unhealthy phenomenon. “It can result in a distorted sense of reality, decreased self-esteem, and a diminished focus on personal growth and achievements,” says Shah. Shah blames social media for this dangerous trend. “Social media is killing the minds of this generation,” says the actor, remarking that even Alfred Hitchcock could not think of this bizarre plot (referring to Darshan’s case).

Darshan’s Arrest

Darshan, known to his fans as “Challenging Star,” was arrested at his Musiri farmhouse on Tuesday. His co-star and girlfriend, Pavithra Gowda, and 11 of his aides were also arrested for the murder of Renuka Swamy, a fan of Darshan. He made lewd comments against Pavithra, who reportedly instigated Darshan to “punish” him. Darshan hired Raghavendra, the convenor of his fan club. Darshan thrashed Renuka with a belt while his aides beat him with sticks until he fell unconscious. He was slammed against the wall and suffered multiple fractures, leading to his death. Tracing the identity of the body using CCTV cameras and forensic analysis led the police to three men who allegedly kept Renuka captive in a shed. One of them turned out to be Raghavendra, who eventually spilled the beans, leading to the actor’s arrest.

Jan 2024: A police officer was severely injured at the pre-release event of actor Mahesh Babu’s film Guntur Kaaram after a large number of fans gathered at the Namburu crossroads in Guntur, resulting in a stampede-like situation.

Jan 2020: Actor Rajnikanth’s fans went on a rampage after his movie Darbar was not screened in 11 theatres in Tamil Nadu’s Dindigul.

Jan 2023: Actor Balakrishna’s fans created a ruckus inside a movie theatre in the US during the screening of his movie Veera Simha Reddy.

Sept 2023: Shah Rukh Khan fans tore down posters of Salman Khan-starrer Tiger 3 in a theatre in Thane, Maharashtra. Soon a fight erupted between both fan groups, the video of which went viral.

June 2024: Cops detained a Delhi-based woman outside Salman Khan’s farmhouse. The 24-year-old die-hard fan of Salman wanted to marry him.

April 2024: Actress Scarlett Johnson alleged that an obsessed fan had been harassing her for almost one year and sought protection from him.

The 38-year-old rapper Badshah recently said during an episode of The Great India Kapil Show that he was requested to take a selfie by a fan while he was urinating.

Jan 2008: Megastar Chiranjeevi’s fans attacked the car of actor Rajasekhar and his family with stones and iron rods. Rajasekhar suffered minor injuries, while his elder daughter Shivani injured her neck. The fans were incensed by Rajasekhar’s remark that Chiranjeevi had no experience in politics.

A star using one die-hard fan to kill another die-hard fan who was interfering in his personal life is a fit example of the bizarreness of the star worship syndrome.” — Ram Gopal Varma, filmmaker

One can’t blame a certain fan or a certain star for creating this mania because it's a medium where one tends to confuse fandom, confuse love with hurt, and maybe confuse admiration with obsession.” — Harshvardhan Rane, Actor

It can result in a distorted sense of reality, decreased self-esteem, and a diminished focus on personal growth and achievements.” — Nawab Shah, actor