‘Trolls Are No Match For Rajamouli’

Popular writer-producer Kona Venkat has come out in strong support of ace filmmaker S S Rajamouli, who was the subject of some trolling over his upcoming film, a major project starring Mahesh Babu.

Calling Rajamouli a “director par excellence,” Kona Venkat said online trolls were no match for his stature. “These trolls are nothing but toxic and meant only to diminish his achievements, which are truly enviable in Indian cinema. Probably, some are envious of his meteoric rise,” he added.

Rajamouli recently unveiled the first look of Prithviraj Sukumaran as the antagonist ‘Kumbha’ — seated in an automated wheelchair and dressed in black. While many praised the striking visual, some netizens drew parallels to characters like Doctor Octopus, Suriya’s Athreya, and Vivek Oberoi’s Krrish 3 villain.

“These comparisons are baseless. You cannot judge an entire character or story based on a single poster. It’s unfair to undermine the creativity of a director of Rajamouli’s calibre by drawing comparisons with crippled villains. We have seen films with smugglers, corrupt politicians and gangsters. Does it mean that we should not use those characters again? How the director develops the character as refreshingly as possible is key,” he pointed out.

Stressing that negativity had become rampant on social media, often targeting major Tollywood names, he said, “It’s disheartening to see how a few vested interests have turned social media into a toxic space. If someone cannot reach Rajamouli’s level, they try to pull him down to theirs; that’s a disgusting mindset.”

Kona Venkat said Rajamouli was a source of inspiration to lakhs of young filmmakers, thanks to his consistency, vision and creativity. Expressing confidence that the director was set to scale even greater heights with the movie in the making – one of the most ambitious projects ever attempted in Indian cinema – he added, “Rajamouli will rise above this social media noise and once again make Tollywood proud.”