The might of fans
Recently, journalist Dhanya Rajendran was relentlessly trolled and abused on social media by fans of Tamil actor Vijay after she tweeted that she had walked out of one of his movies. What was appalling was that all the trolling was well-organised as she was warned way ahead of time that a barrage of tweets and a hashtag (specially created to troll her) were coming her way. Such was the tirade that within 24 hours, over 60,000 tweets were recorded against her!
Closer home, fans of our stars have also been ruthless in their attacks, resulting in many having to endure their wrath. While actors themselves never speak up during such attacks, what’s interesting is the dedication with which these fan clubs run. While it might seem like the clubs are only involved in large-scale trolling, inside is a bigger story of people who do a lot more.
The strategic moves
Anything related to their hero — a film release, birthdays (of their children too) — is a celebration, a grand show of adoration. And, what better way to do it than making their idol trend online via social media activities?
Software engineer Siva Shankar, an ardent fan of Jr NTR from Kadapa, gives us an elaborate picture of how things work. He reveals, “All of us fans coordinate over WhatsApp groups. I am a part of more than 10 such groups! Before any special day, we plan everything perfectly. We discuss what common hashtags we should use and decide on a common display picture. We finalise on something and then spread the word.” He adds, “Over time, we have carefully analysed when to begin a trend and when a huge number of people will be online. The trend should be useful to the film’s promotional activities.”
Elaborates Ravi Nemana of princemahesh.com and several other websites, “On our website, we have a Discussions Board where several members have elaborate discussions. Things are planned there before fan clubs from every town are given key information.”
Riyaz,member of Rashtra Pawan Kalyan Yuvatha
Over the years, we have been involved in various activities like distributing notebooks and clothes to underprivileged children, planting trees and even organising blood donation camps.
– Riyaz,member of Rashtra Pawan Kalyan Yuvatha
Siva shankar, Jr NTR fan
The mudslinging and insults are a sad reality. There’s a thin line between trolling and abusing. Boundaries need to be maintained. We always want cordial relationships with fans of other actors, and prefer to maintain silence if anyone says anything which we don’t like.
– Siva shankar, Jr NTR fan
The social causes
Star birthdays are yet another big occasion and the fan clubs are united in saying, “Our hero always tells us not to waste money and instead invest in some social cause.” Riyaz, a key member of the Rashtra Pawan Kalyan Yuvatha, shares, “Over the years, we have been involved in various activities like distributing notebooks and clothes to underprivileged children, planting trees and organising blood donation camps. While many do it on an actor’s birthday, we have made this a regular activity.”
Korati Satti Babu Naidu from Machilipatnam, who collaborates with nearly 200 fans of Allu Arjun on a regular basis, reveals, “Earlier, we used to do bike rallies. We then realised that it was just a waste of money and started involving in social activities. It gives us a sense of purpose.”
Amara Harish Kumar, who has been running a small NGO, Seva Samithi, in collaboration with other Pawan Kalyan fans, shares, “We save a part of our incomes and use that to celebrate the special day. We try to ensure that some social activity happens on that day in order to honour our star.”
Brotherhood of fans
Film stars may be beyond the reach of most people, but these fan clubs work towards fulfilling people’s wishes. They are usually the ones behind an ailing fan meeting their icon. “If we see a story in a newspaper, we immediately follow up and check with the hero. Most of the times, he obliges,” shares Ravi of princemahesh.com. Siva elaborates, “Social media has been helpful. We know of ardent fans who want to meet the star, and at times, some of them have just a few days to live. Recently, Jr NTR anna met someone who had only a month to live. It’s really beautiful to be able to fulfill wishes.”
The hatred
But amidst all this is the hatred that they all seem to breed but want to deny. Says Siva, “All the mudslinging and insults are a sad reality. Boundaries need to be maintained. We want to maintain cordial relationships with fans of other actors.”
Elaborating on the same, Ravi Nemana shares, “This hatred has been there since time immemorial. Back in the time, it was cafes and parks that were addas for heated arguments. But today, social media has become the place for it. But one thing is for sure — things have improved. The animosity between fans isn’t as much as it was before.”
