'Pushpa': Why is Twitter raging with #BoycottPushpaInKarnataka since morning?
Pushpa releases tomorrow, but even before its theatrical outing, the mega-budgeter is getting mired in controversies, one after the other. After a cancelled meet-and-greet event of the film at N-Convention center in Cyberabad left several injured some days back, resulting in a police case, today there is a storm on Twitter where people are demanding boycotting the film in Karnataka. But, why?
Why does it matter?
The much-awaited venture that stars actors like Allu Arjun, Rashmika Mandanna, Malayalam star Fahadh Faasil (in his Telugu debut), and Anasuya Bharadwaj, faces stiff competition from Spider-Man: No Way Home. The Jon Watts-directorial releases today, and has been smashing records at the pre-booking counters. So, Pushpa has a LOT at stake, and these controversies can bring the hype around it effectively down.
Kannada version has received much lower theater slots in Karnataka
So, why are people asking to boycott Pushpa in Karnataka? It is because the film's Kannada version has received much lower theater slots than the one carrying the original language (Telugu). Even the Tamil and Malayalam versions of the red sandalwood-based film have more slots than the Kannada one in the state. Naturally, people are irked and so are protesting against this move.
Is Sandalwood silent because of Competition Commission of India?
Netizens are also angry that those associated with Sandalwood, the Kannada film industry, are maintaining a stoic silence on this issue. They feel that it's because of the fear of Competition Commission of India (CCI), which had penalized the industry in 2018 for preventing screening of other dubbed versions of movies in Karnataka. "The worst-case scenario of dubbing has come true," remarked one user.
Samantha Ruth Prabhu's dance appearance makes 'Pushpa' more special
While makers are tight-lipped about this issue, from business perspective, this is not a good step, and may heavily affect the film's collections. But let's hope for the best. Apart from the ones mentioned above, Samantha Ruth Prabhu has made her first ever special dance appearance for this film, which is being directed by Sukumar. Arjun's favorite Devi Sri Prasad is the music composer.
