Earlier this year, three fans of KGF actor Yash, all of them in their early 20s, died while setting up a 25-foot celebratory cutout ahead of the actor’s birthday (January 8) in Suranga village, Gadag district. Three others were injured in the same incident. The tragic incident took place around 11 pm, when the cutout accidentally came in contact with an electric wire.
Not an isolated case
This was unfortunately not an isolated case. Recently, the premiere of Allu Arjun and Rashmika Mandanna’s ‘Pushpa 2: The Rule’ was hit with tragedy, after a woman lost her life in a stampede-like incident that broke out at the Sandhya Theatre in Hyderabad.The incident resulted in the death of the 39-year-old woman and left her young son critically injured and in hospital. According to the latest reports on PTI, the theatre is set to face legal action. The police told the portal, “There were no arrangements by the theatre management or prior information about the arrival of the actor and other members of the film.”
Allu Arjun’s Fan Breaches Security At ‘Pushpa 2’ Event In Hyderabad, Gets Unexpected Reaction
Earlier, the grand trailer launch of the pan-India film ‘Pushpa 2: The Rule’ including Allu Arjun and Rashmika Mandanna was held at the Gandhi Maidan in Patna on Sunday evening, drawing an enthusiastic crowd of thousands of fans. However, during the event, a massive turnout led to chaotic scenes, with fans attempting to climb barricades and structures to get closer to their favourite stars.
As the situation escalated, reports indicated that police had to intervene with what was described as a “mild” lathi charge to manage the crowd. Videos circulating on the internet from the event showed some attendees throwing slippers and other items at police officers when they were prevented from approaching the stage.
Why is there such fandom in the South?
Even though we also hear of such cases in Bollywood, fandom of such an obsessive, and unruly nature is mostly seen in the south, where loyal fans are willing to go to any lengths to honour their heroes, that are akin to Gods for them. From constructing temples in their honour, to making animal sacrifice for their movies, fans from the south of India can often show extremely obsessive (and dangerous) levels of commitment to their stars.
Tradition goes a long way back
Nambi Rajan, who used to run Aurora Cinema (a historic Art Deco cinema in Matunga, Mumbai that was popular for Tamil films), says that fans from the South are cut out from a different mould, and do not consider their behaviour as extreme. He said, “It started with Rajinikanth, then Kamal Haasan, then moved on to actors like Vijay, Prabhas etc. Fans have gone to the extent of slaughtering animals in front of their star’s posters. For them, it is a festival of sorts when their favorite actor’s movie releases.”
Where to draw the line?
Sunil Narang, exhibitor, says that when it comes to celebrating their favorite stars, South fans are an edge over the rest. “They like to decorate their houses and public places, and in general have a gala time,” he says. Talking about how things can go haywire, he says, “now specifically, when so many movies are being re-released, there is singing, dancing, and merry making that can sometimes go out of hand. Last year, a fire broke out at the Apsara theater in Vijayawada after fans of Jr. NTR burst firecrackers inside the theater during a screening of his 2003 film Simhadri.”
Narang further says, “The youth, on the pretext of celebrating, are drinking alcohol in theatres (on the sly), that can lead to untoward incidents.” Commenting on what can be done to curtail this, he added that stars themselves have to step up and address such incidents, and strongly discourage their fans from going overboard.
Rooted in history
Gopal Yadav, who works closely with Pushpa star Allu Arjun says, “this culture is rooted in history, and goes back to the days of M.K. Thyagaraja Bhagavathar, who was known as the first Tamil superstar. Post that, this has been a tradition of sorts, and stems from pure love for their favorite star.” Gopal however does not agree that fans treat their stars as Gods. “When you and I pray to God, we ask for something, which is not the case here. These fans are not asking for anything in return, all they want is sheer entertainment and love from their heroes. It is selfless love of the highest order.”
More than just fandom
Ramesh Bala, Entertainment Industry Tracker, said, “South has always been surrounded by fan frenzy; if you look closely, many political leaders from South too, are from the entertainment industry. In the last 20-30 years, the Rajinikanth frenzy has caught up, and really spread far and wide to other stars, now including rituals like milk abhishekam, huge cut outs, and morning 4 am shows.” Commenting on the Pushpa 2 incident, Bala says that because of the lathi charge, the crowd might have gone berserk, leading to the unfortunate incident. However, he asserts that this “frenzy” will continue to rule for many years to come.
Allu Arjun Sparks ‘Wildfire’ At ‘Pushpa 2’ Pre-Release, Rashmika Mandanna Brings ‘Angaaron’ Magic
Stars doing their bit
Actors like Shivarajkumar, Darshan, Sudeep, Upendra as well as Yash have often requested fans to not spend their time and money on putting up cutouts and pour milk over them everytime there is a birthday or a film release coming up. “Some fans end up dedicating their lives to just being a fan. They don’t think about the dangers or risks that come with putting up such high cutouts in the name of their idol,” a member of the fan association was quoted as saying.
Shocking incidents when fans have lost their lives:
22 Dec 2023: Prabhas fan dies of electric shock while erecting Salaar flexi
23 July 2023: Suriya’s fans die of electrocution while putting up his banner on actor’s birthday in Andhra
11 Jan 2023: 19-year-old fan of actor Ajith dances on moving lorry, falls and dies in Chennai
2 Sept 2020: Three fans of actor-politician Pawan Kalyan die of electrocution while erecting banners for his birthday in Andhra
29 Aug 2019: Prabhas’ fan dies of electrocution while fixing a banner of Saaho
4 Jun 2015: Sudeep’s fan electrocuted in Shahapur while carrying actor’s hoarding
