'Embarassing behaviour'UK screening fiasco lands T'wood's Fan culture in A big mess
What Happened
A video clip showing staff at the UK theatre chain Cineworld halting a screening of Pawan Kalyan's Hari Hara Veera Mallu after sections of the audience threw confetti has put the spotlight on unruly Tollywood fan behaviour abroad.
The screening was paused as staff addressed the disruption, prompting some moviegoers to argue that no prior notice had been displayed prohibiting such celebrations. However, the staff called it out for what it was: 'a lack of common sense' and the backlash was instant.
MEA's advisory for Indians overseas to follow local laws
The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) recently issued an advisory urging Indian citizens residing abroad to respect local laws and 'create a good image' of themselves and the country.
The advisory comes in the wake of two unrelated incidents in the United States — one involving the detention of an Indian woman for allegedly shoplifting items worth over $1,300 (approximately ₹1.12 lakh) in Illinois, and another involving an Indian man detained on charges related to child pornography in Washington.
'Fans should absolutely enjoy the film, a film's release is a moment of joy and excitement for fans, and that spirit of celebration is a beautiful part of cinema culture. However, it's important to remember that the cinema is a shared space. While cheering for your favourite stars it should never come at the cost of others' experience'
— Jithendra, Distributor
'Audiences, especially fans of stars, should carry themselves with decency and uphold a strong sense of responsibility.
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For those who have moved abroad, it becomes even more important to respect local laws and follow their guidelines, thereby representing India positively on the global stage. Fandom can and should be expressed with pride and enthusiasm — but not at the cost of others' enjoyment.'
— Prasanna Kumar, Treasurer, TFCC
When fans went overboard
Jan 2023: In January 2023, the screening of Balakrishna's Veera Simha Reddy in the USA was halted midway due to a major ruckus caused by fans.
feb 2024: Fans lit paper scraps inside a theatre during Cameraman Gangatho Rambabu re-release.
May 2025: A Mahesh Babu fan brought a live snake to a Khaleja re-release screening.
Jan 2025: Nandamuri Balakrishna's fans sacrificed a goat at a theatre in Tirupati to celebrate the release of Daaku Maharaaj
May 2025: Mahesh Babu's fan brought a live snake to a theatre in Vijayawada during the Khaleja re-release
Feb 2024: Pawan Kalyan's fans lit paper scraps inside a theatre in Nandyala during the screening of Cameraman Gangatho Rambabu
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(Written by Ashutosh Kumar Thakur) He was a name carried on the wind. I first heard the name Kathakar Ashok in 2007. Two remarkable voices in contemporary Maithili literature, Taranand Viyogi and Gaurinath, spoke of him with unmistakable reverence. 'He is one of the most important fiction writers in Maithili today,' they said, almost in chorus, in two different places. Their conviction stayed with me for years, like a quiet whisper you know you must one day answer. That moment came in late November 2012. My brother, Atul K Thakur, and I had just returned from Madhubani and were on our way back to Delhi after Diwali and Chhath celebrations. We stopped in Patna to visit him. The meeting, held in his residence, turned into a marathon night of literary exchange. His younger son, Prabhat Jha, then student of Patna University and now teaches English in a college, joined the conversation. What followed was an intense and wide-ranging discussion on Maithili, Indian, and world literature. 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Ashok Kumar Jha, born on January 18, 1953, began writing in the sacred and intellectually fertile environment of Kashi. His father, Late Umapati Jha, was the manager of the historic Ram Mandir built by the Maharani of Darbhanga. The temple was not only a spiritual center, but also a cultural nucleus. The Maithil Chhatra Sangh hosted literary events, recitations, and anniversary celebrations of Maithili writers. The young Ashok absorbed it all. His first poem, a tribute to poet Chanda Jha, appeared in Batuk, a children's magazine. But the shift from verse to prose was fraught with uncertainty. His early stories were rejected, even by well-meaning mentors. But rejection, in Ashok's case, was only a redirection. He rewrote. He refined. He returned. In 1969, the poem 'E New Lightak Faishion Thik' was published, and in 1971, Viram San Pahine appeared in Mithila Mihir. The storyteller had arrived. Ashok's literary corpus spans decades, but his storytelling retains a deep moral consistency. 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