Telugu star Allu Arjun met thousands of his fans as part of the annual Allu Arjun Fan Association summit in Hyderabad on Tuesday. Dressed in his trademark black attire, the Raaka star interacted with them and encouraged everyone to do at least one good deed per year. He also addressed his ‘anti-fans and haters’ apart from his fans and had a special message for them.
Allu Arjun urges fans not to troll amid criticism
While speaking to the thousands of fans on the mic, Arjun said he had a message for them all. He said, “I’ve been wanting to say something to my fans, anti-fans, and haters for a long time. Remember what I’m saying now, because I’ve been waiting for such an occasion. If you don’t like someone, don’t waste time hating and trolling them.”
He further explained, “If you don’t like them, just let it be. Don’t waste even 1% of your time on them. If you had ₹100, would you spend it on something you don’t like? Exactly, don’t spend. Spend time doing something you like. Go wait in front of the girl you like’s house instead.”
After the event, Arjun posted a selfie he took with his fans on social media, writing, “My Dear Fansss…(black heart emoji) Seeing all of you coming from different places for this event is really heart touching. Thank you for all the love. Humbled. Hope to make you all more mad proud. (black heart emoji).”
Growing criticism over fan wars in Tollywood
There has been growing criticism over fan wars in Tollywood as they often take an abusive turn. Children, women, and fellow men aren’t spared in the kind of language used in posts or on X (formerly Twitter) Spaces. Many fans even take part in this, getting their favourite star trending while bringing down a star from the competition.
Anti-fan culture has been on the rise in Tollywood, with people closely watching and following a particular star only to troll them severely online. Stars have often been criticised for enjoying all the popularity that comes with their fans, but not reigning them in when it comes to abusive behaviour online. This behaviour has spiralled from posts and verbal trolling to threats, morphed images and more. Arjun himself has often faced such trolling from Pawan Kalyan’s fans.
Arjun was last seen in Sukumar’s Pushpa: The Rise and Pushpa 2: The Rule. He is currently shooting for Raaka with Atlee. Deepika Padukone is his co-star. The actor also has a film with Lokesh Kanagaraj lined up, which is tentatively titled AA23.