Murali Sharma's line towards the end of the teaser of Andhra King Taluka has sparked online discussions about the aptness of the sentiment. Delivered with a tinge of pain by the actor, the line may be unoriginal but it is heartfelt. "You are crazy about your favourite movie star, but he doesn't even know that you exist," the line goes.
This is a commonly-heard lament by elders in our society when they come face-to-face with peak craze for superstars. When fans injure themselves while trying to put up gigantic cut-outs, when they almost die fighting for cinema tickets (this used to the case till the mid-2000s), when they spend their little savings on buying tickets in the black market, the oft-repeated line is: "Why do you splurge your precious money on someone who doesn't know of your existence?"
The online discussions after the release of the teaser, therefore, are interesting. Maybe, Gen Z has come across this sentiment for the first time ever. Maybe, the emotional impact of the delivery by Murali Sharma is the X factor.
On Telugu social media, a common sight is that of young audience members proudly describing themselves as "TFI banisa", meaning "Telugu film industry slave". They wear it as a badge of honour, displaying their utter immaturity. The Andhra King Taluka line must be a wake-up call for them.
