The recent frenzy surrounding Pushpa 2 and the arrest of Telugu movie actor Allu Arjun includes a tragic episode where a father lost his wife and is now grieving beside his son on a ventilator. There have been numerous unaccounted deaths and injuries in chaotic fan celebrations—from stampedes claiming lives to other tragic incidents. The cost of idolising reel-life heroes has reached alarming levels. Fans tattoo their bodies, clash violently over rival actors, and even resort to suicide when their star fails to meet expectations. This dangerous obsession reduces lives to collateral damage in a culture that glorifies onscreen fantasies at the expense of real-world sensibilities. When will society hold such blind fanaticism accountable?
Cinema’s Consequences on Society
Today, the entertainment industry is a dominant force shaping the lifestyle of the ordinary person. This influence has developed gradually over multiple phases. Over the last five decades, it has been sustained by a complex network and ecosystem built around multi-media coverage, political alliances and societal interactions. Today, engagement and popularity have become the standard hallmarks to justify every act of human behaviour.
This phenomenon has become a guiding force, with fans ready to sacrifice their identity, thinking and perception of life—a pathetic stage with a bleak future. The progression underwent through multiple phases like stories as drama and plays, emergence of silver screen, stories as films, actors as movies and ideology as movies. In a short time, actors emerged as influential figures who plunged into politics with mass appeal, followed by another phase where they run governments, do policies and build social narratives. Then came the multimedia revolution—starting with the small screen mimicking the silver screen, television as State spokesperson, satellite TV that democratised things and allowed screen space for everyone, and finally came the internet and social media that have put content on our palms. It is essential to clinically diagnose and identify the critical stages of this influence and its effects to reclaim our lives.
Phase 1: Evolution of Drama
Initially, stories were conveyed through drama and plays, serving as social commentary and entertainment tools. The storytelling was local and community-driven, grounded in traditional narratives and moral lessons. Dramas and plays became the vehicles of rolling the Swadeshi message. ‘Madurakavi’ Bhaskara Das from Tamil Nadu was one of the pioneers of infusing the message of freedom into his dramas. Valli Thirumanam (Marriage of Lord Muruga to Goddess Valli), one of the very successful dramas his troupe staged, has a scene where Valli chases away cranes who come to steal grains from her farmland. Valli playfully sings a song as she chases the cranes away. The song goes thus, “Hey White cranes, you stayed here long and looted our country.” Slyly injecting the message of Swatantra.
Phase 2: Stories as Films
With technological advancements, stories have transitioned into films. The cinematic format allowed narratives to reach a broader audience and movie stars were starting to be noted. The immersive experience of film – visuals, action and music, established the movie industry as a central part of societal conversation and identity. This was when movies from Puranas, Ithihasas and historical stories took the forefront. The story was more important in this phase than the actors like Dadasaheb Palke’s Raja Harishchandra and HM Reddy’s Bhakta Prahlada.
Phase 3: Actors as Films
As the silver screen gained traction, people started celebrating actors for their performances—acting, fighting and singing. At times, the presence of an actor made the movie click more than the story or any other ingredient. This resulted in the creation of superstars whom people flocked to watch. MK Thyagaraja Bhagavatar is said to be the first singing and acting superstar from the Tamil movie industry. Akkineni Nageshwara Rao and SV Ranga Rao, to name a few from the Telugu industry.
Phase 4: Ideology as Movies
The earliest industry to catch this wave was the Tamil movie industry. Having seen stories click and people start celebrating their heroes, Tamil Nadu, already beginning to see an anti-Brahmin surge, co-opted the silver screen to further its agenda. Writers and directors started pushing their agenda into the movies, and it proved very successful as people unknowingly consumed this poison. Hinduphobia was sent in small doses using dialogues. For example, calling temples “centres of rape and oppression against women” in Manohara (1954), written by Karunanidhi, started to be celebrated as great literary and cinematic works.
Phase 5: Actors as Political Stars
Then came a time when stars combined with ideologies gave birth to political stars. The fusion of cinema and ideology became apparent when idealogue writers like Annadurai and Karunanidhi, as well as movie stars like NT Rama Rao (NTR) and MG Ramachandran (MGR) transitioned from films to politics in 1970’s and 80’s, eventually becoming Chief Ministers of their respective States. This phenomenon highlighted the massive influence of movie stars, who leveraged their popularity to gain political power. The success of such actors in politics revealed that mass appeal, rather than ideology or experience, could be a shortcut to political authority. This trend continued with actors like SS Rajendran, Sivaji Ganesan, Jayalalithaa, Chiranjeevi, T Rajendar, K Bhagyaraj, Rajinikanth, Kamal Haasan and Pawan Kalyan entering political spheres with varying degrees of success. Some political kids were thrust into the movie industry to fight a rival political star like MK Muthu, eldest son of Karunanidhi, who was brought in to fight a losing battle against MGR. Or the recent example of a political kid apprenticing in the film industry before being thrust into the political sphere and growing to be the Deputy Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu in no time, Udayanidhi Stalin. Either way, cinema and entertainment seem to be a gateway to politics.
Phase 6: The Multimedia Revolution
The multimedia revolution started with satellite television, which helped democratise politics. From an era of one Government-owned television channel controlled tightly by the ruling party when it came to programming and coverage, satellite channels allowed the parties to have their own media organs and better promote their agenda. The first to grab this opportunity was the DMK and Sun TV. AIADMK and JJ TV joined the bandwagon much later. This was the era before news television was privatised. So, the General Entertainment Channels (GEC) were allowed only one daily bulletin, and it was still news reading. So these channels started using the same modus operandi as movies, ideology camouflaged as entertainment. And they were successful, too.
The internet and, later, the cellular phone boom in Bharat put entertainment in the palm of every citizen. The proliferation of camera phones ensured that anybody could become an entertainer. The scenario was further democratised by the advent of social media – TikTok, YouTube, Instagram, Snapchat etc. The reach of social media quickly made heroes of some unlikely people – the girl from the Jallikattu protest became a TV star (unsurprisingly), Julie, the girl who doled out half-baked environmental gyan, landed in DMK via Kamal Hassan’s party, Padmapriya or the indigenous bovine expert who became a DMK mouthpiece and later Assembly election candidate, Kartikeya Sivasenapathi.
Today, the entertainment industry is a dominant force shaping the lifestyle of the ordinary person. This influence has developed gradually over multiple phases
While those are examples of direct landings, there are also a few who enjoy political patronage as proxies, like this one gentleman in Tamil Nadu who could cause a fatal accident and be let off by authorities from the crime scene as his presence would cause a commotion. The same gentleman revealed the gender of his unborn child in public, only to be let off by the authorities after he removed the video. The same man was present in the operation theatre as the obstetrician delivered his kid and severed the umbilical cord of the baby and posted a video of this on social media like he was cutting a ribbon to inaugurate some new shop. He was again let off with a gentle rebuke and removal of the video.
Role of Mainstream Media
The mainstream media has played a significant role in solidifying this nexus between entertainment and politics. Tamil or Telugu newspapers like Daily Thanti, Dinamalar, Eenadu, and Andhra Jyothi, Andhra Bhoomi began dedicating pages and supplements to movie coverage, providing detailed narratives about film production, casting decisions, shooting schedules and most importantly, gossip.
These pages not only acted as continuous updates that kept the public engaged with the industry’s developments but also encouraged a voyeuristic zeal among the people like they were waiting to hear gossip about the most intimate details of their stars. This also became an edifice to normalise relationships beyond marriage, multiple relationships and divorce or breakdown of relationships. Thus, another man or woman’s life became a point of discussion at schools, colleges, and family gatherings, embedding film culture deeply into the social fabric.
Changing Definition of Anti-Social
If this is not enough, the film and social media culture have worked intensely to remove the shame and stigma that was associated with smoking or drinking. What was anti-social a generation ago has become something that the young generation aspires for. The tables have turned now, and a person who doesn’t smoke or drink is now called anti-social. Unfortunately, the Page 3 culture in mainstream media focuses mostly on parties and who is partying, helping to normalise what was a vice not long back.
Social & Political Consequences
Constant media coverage has a ripple effect, subtly altering the societal landscape. People’s everyday conversations have been shaped around the lives and dramas of movie stars and social media influencers, leading to a culture of celebrity worship. This has created an environment where individuals, especially the younger generation, measure success by social media’s reach and public recognition, often neglecting deeper values and traditional achievement measures.
The impact of this influence is profound in politics. Politicians with a background in movies or social media influencers often enter politics without ideological commitments, relying instead on personal advisors from NGOs of choice, bureaucrats and global reports. Most of them are disconnected from the grassroots, wrapped in their bubble of fans and followers. This disconnect often leads to policies that may not necessarily align with the needs of the common people. The reliance on media coverage for political legitimacy rather than ideological consistency has further eroded informed political engagement among the populace.
Its impact on the younger generation is even more. The culture of instant fame and self-identity based on likes and shares has made them believe that going against societal norms and being the ‘rebel’ can make them an instant social media hero. This shift has created a generation more focused on social media validation than traditional or community-based success. As a result, the line between reality and celebrity life has blurred, causing individuals to lose touch with everyday societal interactions and values.
The extensive media coverage of the entertainment industry has had profound and lasting effects on society. It has created a culture of celebrity worship, projecting false Gods, redefined political pathways and shaped the aspirations and values of the younger generation. This evolution did not occur overnight but has been a slow and continuous process deeply embedded into the societal structure.
As media continues to evolve, society must find a balance in celebrating cultural achievements without losing touch with core social values and political accountability. We can do this by shifting the focus of media coverage towards more constructive and educational topics. To enable this, the mainstream media can start by reducing or limiting their coverage of entertainment and movies. They can promote more on local history and culture, give space to local heroes – business, arts, music, sports etc. If the mainstream media can do this, our society can reclaim its intellectual and cultural foundations, paving the way for a more informed and balanced future.
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