Kannada thespian, the late Dr Rajkumar called his fans Abhimani Devarugalu — equating his fans to the level of God. The culture of hero worship by fans is an old phenomenon especially in the Indian film industry, and more rampant in the South Indian film industry. There have been numerous incidents where fans have gone to extremes on several occasions, all for the love of their favourite actors and actresses. They do crazy things like constructing a place of worship in some cases, and some even have indulged in heinous crimes! Bizarre as it may sound, for die hard fans, this is nothing compared to lengths they can go to with their unconditional love for their icons. However, a video of a buffalo being sacrificed for the success of a recently-released Kannada film went viral. It has been condemned by many, including the film team. Bengaluru Chronicle reports.
Actress and animal lover Samyukta Hornad, was among the first to react to the inhuman act, urging such fans to stop such cruel practices.
“The videos of goats and buffaloes being slaughtered outside theatres is the most disturbing thing I have ever seen. I am absolutely horrified! I don’t care if it’s your culture or tradition. I don’t care who your God is, only psychopaths enjoy killing living things. Please be compassionate. There’s no excuse for animal cruelty. Stop it now. I beg of you,” she pleads crazy fans.
She goes on to say, “No animal (including chickens) can be slaughtered in any place other than a slaughterhouse. Sick or pregnant animals shall not be slaughtered. Rule 3, of the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, (Slaughterhouse) Rules, 2001 and Chapter 4, Food Safety and Standards Regulations, 2011.”
Many fans celebrate the movies of their favourite stars by feeding the hungry, helping the poor and educating the helpless, and she adds that killing innocent helpless animals on the streets like goondas isn’t a celebration.
Kiccha Sudeep too followed her cue, urging his fans to stop such cruel acts. “Brutality is inhuman. It’s my sincere request to stop all this. This isn’t the (kind of) love and respect the team of The Villain would want to see. Stop this slaughtering act please,” he tweeted.
Director Santhosh feels strongly about such inhuman displays, saying, “Apart from constructing temples, and other usual gestures like pouring milk on posters, and so on, fans have gone on to even end their lives. In a recent report in Kolar, a fan of a Telugu star was allegedly killed over a heated argument on who was the top actor in Tollywood. Though stars from time to time urge their fans to stop worshipping them, and many have even stopped celebrating their birthdays, but unfortunately, such crazy incidents continue to occur.”
