Hyderabad: The recent arrest of Kannada actor Darshan in connection with a murder case has sparked widespread shock throughout the entertainment industry and among fans. The incident, which has brought to the forefront the darker aspects of celebrity worship, has also drawn a response from filmmaker Ram Gopal Varma.
On Thursday morning, the director took to his X handle to express his thoughts on the matter, highlighting the bizarre nature of the 'star worship syndrome'. According to him, the incident is a prime example of how fans can become so obsessed with their idols that they begin to dictate how they should live their personal lives. This, he believes, is an unavoidable consequence of the intense devotion that fans often exhibit towards celebrities.
He wrote, "A star using one die hard fan to kill another die hard fan who was interfering in his personal life is a fit example of the bizarreness of the star worship syndrome ..Fans wanting to order how their stars should run their lives is a unavoidable side effect of the same syndrome." (sic)
The case involves the murder of 33-year-old Renukaswamy, a fan who allegedly sent derogatory messages to Pavithra Gowda, a friend of Darshan. In connection with this incident, Darshan, Pavithra, and 11 others reportedly tracked down Renukaswamy, tortured him, and eventually dumped his body in a storm-water drain. The police have arrested Darshan and are currently probing the case.
Ram Gopal Varma's post sheds light on the broader issue of fan worship, which has become a pervasive problem in the southern part of the country. This is not the first time Varma has spoken out against fan worship. He has previously criticised the actions of Pawan Kalyan's fans, who often go to extreme lengths to demonstrate their love for the Telugu star.
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