Chiranjeevi Birthday Celebrations Dampen Amid Social Media Trolls

Megastar Chiranjeevi’s birthday is usually marked by grand celebrations, with fans across the world coming together to celebrate his long and successful career. However, this year, the celebrations appeared to take a different turn, with several speakers using the occasion to respond to trolls and critics rather than simply celebrate the veteran actor’s legacy.

Producer Bandla Ganesh, known for backing hits such as Gabbar Singh, took centre stage with strong praise for Chiranjeevi. “Chiranjeevi never trampled on anyone to reach the top; he lifted people around him and helped them rise. His life story should be made a textbook for future generations,” he said.

Ganesh also recalled Chiranjeevi’s humble beginnings, pointing out that he entered Chennai as the son of an ordinary constable with no film background and went on to become a global star representing Telugu cinema. He also credited Chiranjeevi with supporting his younger brother Pawan Kalyan and playing an important role in his journey to becoming the Power Star.

The remarks came against the backdrop of weeks of intense trolling surrounding Chiranjeevi on social media. A section of users has repeatedly accused the Megastar of suppressing or blocking the growth of others in the industry, triggering a prolonged online debate. Mega fans responded by sharing old film clips, speeches and videos highlighting instances of Chiranjeevi encouraging and supporting fellow actors and technicians.

As the debate continued for nearly a month, Chiranjeevi’s name remained at the centre of both praise and criticism online. Naturally, his fans were keen to defend their favourite star, and that sentiment spilled over into the birthday celebrations.

However, some industry observers feel that the aggressive counter-attacks may ultimately do more harm than good.

“Megastar doesn’t need endorsements from small actors or producers. His contribution to the film industry and his standing among Telugu audiences across the world speak for themselves. Such aggressive counters only create more ugliness on social media. Ironically, these speeches could provide fresh content to the very trolls they are trying to silence,” says a leading producer.

The episode also highlights the growing toxicity of fan wars on social media. Pawan Kalyan has previously voiced concern over the trend, warning fans against trolling rival stars and posting negative comments about their films. Speaking at an event for his upcoming film OG, he said fan wars had become so ugly that negativity on social media could shorten the theatrical life of big-ticket films.

Producer-director M.S. Raju has also criticised the trend, describing social media fan wars as increasingly toxic. According to him, trolling often begins even before a film’s first show, with rival fan groups waiting for opportunities to target teasers, trailers and movies.

Raju compared social media to a wildfire that becomes difficult to control once it spreads. He also pointed out that the industry’s leading stars—including Prabhas, Mahesh Babu, Allu Arjun, Jr NTR, Ram Charan, Chiranjeevi and Balakrishna—share cordial relationships off-screen, while their fan bases often engage in bitter online rivalries. 'Unfortunately, their fans don’t share that bonhomie. They want their favourite stars’ films to mint box-office gold while wishing failure upon rivals," he concludes.