Bollywood actor Arshad Warsi of 'Munnabhai MBBS' fame recently criticized Prabhas' character and how he was presented in 'Kalki 2898 AD'. His remarks were hardly hostile or negative.
Warsi's remarks have become a storm in a tea cup, with Prabhas' fans and even a section of the Tollywood media expecting a sincere apology from him. The Bollywood artist has been accused of being jealous of Prabhas' rise.
The framing of the controversy is immature. 'Kalki 2898 AD' and Prabhas are both colossal. People can have different levels of expectations from them both. There will always be those who will describe them as the greatest of 2024. There will always be those who will describe them as a joke. You have to be open to both extremes.
Warsi comes from a film industry where criticism is sometimes unfiltered. Many in Bollywood have criticized Karan Johar openly. Recently, Anurag Kashyap criticized Yash Raj Films openly. Bollywood has that culture.
In Tollywood, a culture of shameless political correctness is what exists. Puri Jagannadh, for example, has delivered just one hit in 12 years. How many actors have openly criticized him? Even star producers don't muster the courage to question the work culture and creative paradigms of these failing filmmakers. In Bollywood, when YRF delivers five flops in a row, you listen to all sorts of criticisms from industry people themselves.
Warsi may be unfiltered but he doesn't have to say sorry to Prabhas. He is entitled to his opinion, however stupid it might be. If you are thin-skinned, it is your problem, not Bollywood's or Warsi's. Don't expect the whole country to fawn over Prabhas. You end up looking like a fool!
