Fans and fanatics are frequently the one and the same when it comes to South Indian superstars. Tamil-Telugu-Malayalam fans of Rajinikanth, Kamal Haasan, Suriya,Vijay, Mahesh Babu, Nagarjuna, Mohanlal, Mammootty and now the younger breed including Vijay Deverakonda, Adivi Sesh, etc. won’t tolerate a word against their beloved demi-god.
The latest star to join this elite group of anointed deities is Yash, the Kannada superstar from the film KGF whose fans have taken umbrage to an old video where a smalltime actor and standup comic named Sudarshan Rangaprasad is seen mimicking Yash.
Since the time the video has gone viral, Sudarshan,whom nobody had heard of until this incident, and his wife have ben urging Yash to come forward to “help” .
But Yash has remained silent throughout.
And there is a reason for it.
A source close to the Superstar reveals to this writer, “These may be fans of Yash who are offended by the video. But that doesn’t mean they will listen to him. Fan followings are like riding that proverbial tiger. Not in anyone’s control. Also,it is strange that this video has suddenly surfaced after two years. Yash doesn’t think it is in particularly good taste. But he couldn’t be bothered less. But why bring the wives into the picture? This stand-up comedian’s wife has been urging Yash and his wife to come forward to resolve the crisis. Yash’s wife is expecting her second child any day now.Why should she get involved with this?”
The source close to Yash says the matter should have been resolved easily and not turned into an issue. “The whole thing is distasteful. Fans are possessive. You ridicule them . They will retaliate. It’s as simple as that. They won’t even listen to the star whom they idolise.”
In the meanwhile a letter has been issue by Yash’s fan club. This letter in Kannada urges the more aggressive sections of the fans to desist from abusive retaliation.
“When you behave in a graceless, undignified way, you also compromise the dignity and grace of the star you love,” the letter reads.
To this we may add a word of caution to those who use the social media to get publicity. Remember the Tiger you ride may end up riding you.
