'Die' hard fans a shocking reality!!!!

Three fans die for Magadheera, reads a headline of a proud Charan Tej fan site that compares his popularity with that of Chiranjeevi. Not too long ago, a Prabhas fan died in a stampede in a mad rush to get tickets for Billa. When Junior NTR’s Kantri and Mahesh Babu’s Athadu released, theatres in the state became a battleground of sorts, with a few fans losing their lives. However, the film industry is far from concerned.

Every big release in Tollywood, in fact, almost celebrates these casualties as a morbid yardstick of its success. The more deaths the stars cause, the greater his “success story.”This age-old problem in Tollywood has become a “trend” of sorts, but no one, right from the theatre management to the filmmakers and actors, seems to be in a mood to address it. While theatre owners blame filmmakers for the “hype” they create, actors brush off these casualties as “unavoidable”.

Actor Murali Mohan, president of Movie Artistes Association, says, “No actor wants to see his fans die. But they can’t help it. We can only show our sympathy for them. This is show business and we have to create hype around movies to draw the audiences. It is the theatre’s responsibility to handle the crowd.”

The blame game ensues, as even the exhibitors are quick to pass the buck. Vijandar Reddy, member of the AP Film Chamber of Commerce, says,

“It is impossible for theatres to handle such huge crowds. There is a provision in the law where the owners can hand over the theatre to the revenue divisional officer for a few days if matters go out of control. Theatre owners should utilise this provision.

”The death of fans has become a sort of “publicity” for the films, feels actress-turned-politician Jayasudha. “When filmmakers can plan audio functions and success meets so well, why can’t they plan crowd management? The theatre owners should open booking a month in advance.”

Jeevitha Rajasekhar, actor-turned-politician, couldn’t agree more. “There is so much hype created for each film, that the producer knows that this will happen. When filmmakers earn so much revenue from a movie, why can’t they spend on the security of their own fans,” she says.

DEATH TOLL*

A Prabhas fan was killed in a stampede in Visakhapatnam while buying a ticket for Billa earlier this year.
* A Junior NTR fan was killed in a stampede when Kantri released.
* During Athadu’s release, a Mahesh Babu fan lost his life in a stampede in Tadipatri.
* The fans of Junior NTR and Chiranjeevi got into a brawl at Royal Theatre in Bellary when both their movies Simhadri and Tagore released simultaneously in neighbouring theatres.
* Four Chiranjeevi fans died in a stampede in Rajahmundry while buying tickets for Tagore.
* During the release of Laxmi Narasimha, a Balakrishna fan lost his life. Three fans committed suicide when the movie flopped.

BLAME GAME---

Ashwini Dutt producer:

No one can be blamed for these casualties. In AP, there has always been a fanatical craze for movie stars. Such incidents are unavoidable, there’s not much we can do.

Manjula Swaroop, filmmaker and actor:

Fans should realise that movies are just entertainment. They should be cautious and not get carried away. This craze is disturbing.

Suresh Babu, filmmaker:

No one can be held responsible. A theatre owner can’t control crazy mobs during booking, nor can everyone avail of advance booking. Actors should address fans.