A recent ETV Win Original has courted controversy because of a scene in which a college student belonging to a particular caste is shown to be a fanatical follower of actors and politicians belonging to his caste. In the same scene, other students belonging to his caste are reluctant to share his sentiment. One of them actually questions his fanaticism and narrow-mindedness. The whole scene was meant to be a commentary on caste-based communal feelings.
The particular scene has triggered social media debates. A Netizen wrote, "It is immature to suggest that some big heroes of Telugu cinema are very popular because of their caste identity. They are talented and that's why they are huge." This, of course, is true. From Chiranjeevi to Balakrishna, from Pawan Kalyan to Prabhas, from Allu Arjun to Jr NTR, from Ram Charan to Mahesh Babu, they are talented and enjoy fan bases they totally deserve.
Having said that, caste-based fandoms are a reality. What percentage of a hero's total fan base is caste-based can't be said with certainty.
What difference do these caste-based fan bases make? They passionately defend their heroes' movies, especially in the age of social media. They vehemently defend their heroes during controversies. They vociferously push back against "hate armies". They are entitled to their views in a democracy. The ETV Win web series merely makes a commentary on their passionate caste-based loyalties. And the makers of the series are entitled to their views in a democracy. The series doesn't argue that these heroes lack talent. The series doesn't say that these heroes seek caste-based loyalty from their fans.
Caste is a supreme reality in India. The Telugu film industry's celebs, at least some of them, benefit from this reality. The ETV Win series scene merely depicts what is known to happen in some colleges in certain parts of Andhra Pradesh. In fact, the scene might have been inspired by an interview of a Tollywood actor, who once spoke of how students in certain pockets of Andhra get divided into groups based on their caste identities.
