Why Are Trolls Targeting the ‘Family Star’?

Vijay Deverakonda‘s latest movie ‘Family Star‘ was released last Friday and received mixed reactions. Despite high expectations set by the trailer and teaser, and innovative promotions by the movie team, there was a sudden surge in trolls and negativity post-release. The film was subject to trolling on social media on a large scale, with criticisms questioning the film’s quality. While some viewers insist that ‘Family Star’ is excellent, especially appealing to family audiences, the internet is rife with negativity. This raises the question: What is the source of this negativity? Is someone deliberately spreading negativity about this film? Let’s explore in this special report.

What Is the Audience Saying?

Those who have seen ‘Family Star’ claim it’s very good. Particularly, family audiences are praising the movie, confused about the reason behind the extensive trolling and negativity online. Some young viewers mentioned that ‘Family Star’ is not just average but a film worth watching multiple times.

Did Vijay Know in Advance?

A video of two YouTube reviewers discussing ‘Family Star’ is trending among Vijay’s fans. In it, one reviewer mentioned that there’s no hate for ‘Family Star’ itself but there’s significant opposition towards Vijay Deverakonda. The reviewer revealed that Vijay had discussed this with producer Dil Raju, saying, “A certain batch gets ready if I do a movie. Are you prepared for it?” highlighting the existence of groups ready to target his films. This surprised even Dil Raju. The video has gone viral on social media.

Why Target Vijay?

From the beginning, Vijay Deverakonda has faced a significant amount of opposition on social media. His rapid rise to stardom, without a film background, has not gone well with some fans of other stars. Vijay’s straightforward behavior, his way of promoting movies, and his candid responses in interviews have also not been well-received by everyone. There have been multiple instances of his clips being posted on social media for the purpose of trolling. Whatever the reason, every time a Vijay Deverakonda film is released, efforts are made to target it. However, this time, ‘Family Star’ seems to be facing not just negativity towards Vijay but also towards producer Dil Raju and director Parasuram, which is why even a well-received film is encountering such levels of trolling and negativity.

Negativity Towards Dil Raju

Since the last Sankranti, there has been a troll campaign against Dil Raju. He released ‘Varasudu’ starring Tamil star Vijay during last year’s Sankranti, which some didn’t like as it competed with Chiru’s (Waltair Veerayya) and Balayya’s (Veer Simha Reddy). Criticisms also emerged regarding ‘Hanuman’ this Sankranti, with claims circulating on social media that Dil Raju indirectly suggested ‘Hanuman’ should step back. Director Parasuram, after ‘Geetha Govindam’ with Vijay, was supposed to make another film with Geetha Arts. However, suddenly making ‘Family Star’ under Dil Raju’s production also contributed to the negativity against him. The opposition towards these three individuals seems to be the reason for the extensive trolling and negativity surrounding ‘Family Star’, as analyzed by cine circles.

Fake Reviews

Certain YouTube channels and PR teams started spreading negativity from the day of the film’s release, stating the film was not good and making harsh trolls. This influenced the audience and significantly impacted the movie’s collections. However, in America and other countries, the film is making a substantial box office impact, collecting over 500K dollars in three days.

Trolls Before Release!

Trolls against ‘Family Star’ began even before it hit the theaters. Some targeted the movie right after the trailer release, criticizing the depiction of a middle-class family hero in rich costumes and branded shoes. During a media event, some journalists questioned this, and producer Dil Raju strongly countered, asking, “Doesn’t a hero do heroics? In real life, can we beat 20 people like in action movies? Those are blockbusters because they are movies. Why nitpick over such details?” 

‘Trying to Kill a Good Movie’

To counter the negativity, producer Dil Raju personally interacted with the audience at a theater, asking their opinions. A video of this is currently circulating on the internet. An audience member expressed to Dil Raju that they really liked the movie and felt that there was an effort to kill even a good movie, suggesting action should be taken against those giving negative reviews.

Responding, Dil Raju mentioned that in Kerala, it’s ordered by the court not to give reviews for the first three days after a movie’s release, suggesting something similar would benefit the industry here. “We made a good film. If you didn’t like it, say you didn’t, but don’t push your opinions onto the audience,” he remarked, indicating his frustration with the practice of giving prejudiced reviews.