Social media trolling and online negativity are emerging as a new concern for Telugu film producers and directors. But when did filmmakers become so worried about what social media might say?

Finding faults with films is certainly nothing new. For decades, every release has invited a mix of reactions — some audiences love a film, some dislike it, while others point out even the smallest mistakes. What has changed is the speed and scale at which these reactions spread, with social media amplifying every opinion within minutes.

Leading producer Naga Vamsi Suryadevara recently admitted that concerns over social media criticism were among the reasons behind the decision to postpone the release of his film Adarsha Kutumbam by a couple of weeks.

“We are worried about social media criticism. We want to avoid comments such as, ‘Why did you miss this?’ or ‘Don’t you even know this?’ So, to make the movie as foolproof as possible, we decided to defer the release,” says Naga Vamsi.

His comments underline how the fear of online criticism is prompting filmmakers to become increasingly cautious, not just with their films but also with their promotional strategy and release plans.

“Undoubtedly, social media has become a new menace,” says director Ashok Teja, who admits that filmmakers across Tollywood have become increasingly wary of criticism.

“If the criticism is genuine, it can certainly be useful. But most negative comments are intended to degrade a film rather than help it. We need to be doubly careful, right from the teaser and trailer stages to the final output,” he adds.

The issue was also reflected in Ravi Teja’s Mass Jathara, where a conversation between his character and his on-screen father, played by Rajendra Prasad, touches upon Twitter fan wars. Ravi Teja’s character strongly criticises anonymous users who hide behind fake identities while spreading negativity, questioning what social media has become and taking aim at those who indulge in toxic and baseless trolling.

Producer M. S. Raju too believes that social media negativity has become a serious problem. “I don’t want to take names, but many filmmakers are genuinely worried about the growing negativity on social media. Unfortunately, there is very little we can do to control it,” he says.

He feels that the increasing toxicity surrounding fan wars is also affecting the theatrical life of films. “Fan wars have turned quite ugly, and the hatred is spilling over into films, cutting short their lifespan. Earlier, big films used to run for 100 or even 175 days, but now their fate is often decided within five or six days because of negativity on social media,” he laments.

Fan rivalries have always existed in the Telugu film industry, but social media has given them a much larger and faster platform. Fans naturally want their favourite stars to succeed, but the rivalry can sometimes extend to attacking competing actors and their films, even before a movie reaches theatres.

“Fan wars on social media are unavoidable. Fans want their respective stars to shine while undermining their rivals. Trolls often begin even before the first show hits theatres. Though star rivalries are hurting cinema, good films are still managing to overcome this menace and emerge as blockbusters,” points out M. S. Raju.

Even films like Vishwabhara, Devara, Peddi, Toxic and The Paradise among others suffered social media criticism for one issue or another. "For filmmakers, the challenge now is to distinguish between genuine and fake criticism which are affecting the collections of movies to some extent and naturally sending shivers down the spine of filmmakers," adds Ashok Teja.. 

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