Actors are trolled all the time, especially in India, by haters. The bigger the star, the greater the amount of hate he receives. The social media posts and memes deriding the looks, performances, dances or even the off-screen appearance of celebrities reach millions. More than what the mainstream media write about movies, memes are read by people in remote villages. Does prolonged exposure to memes and mockery of actors negatively impact how these actors are perceived by the general audience?
Speaking at a film event on Tuesday, comedian Hyper Aadhi suggested that the audience (many, not all) end up finding the actors funny when they are brainwashed by memes and hate-filled trolls. "Trolls make fun of everything. Jr NTR sheds weight for a role and they troll him. Vijay Deverakonda has a few flops and they troll him, not ready to wait for his comeback. Ram Charan's steps in Peddi song go viral but they troll even that. They troll someone like Chiranjeevi, who started breaking box office records before these kiddos were even born," Aadhi remarked.
His observation about trolling taking the sheen out of actors is quite an interesting one. It admits reality rather than denying it. He is talking about how they mold public opinion. Fundamentally, Hyper Aadhi is saying that trolls are to be taken seriously, not brushed aside as a stupid, jobless minority (like Ravi Teja often does with relish). "Trolls and memes are powerful cultural units, especially among youth, who often treat them as a primary source of news or social commentary. Research has explicitly found that trolls and memes can play a vital role in moulding public opinion," an article once said.
