Samantha gets online hate for criticizing Mahesh Babu's poster

THERE'S SAM'THING ABOUT MAHESH

Cyberbullies get busy online after actress Samantha blogs about a regressive cinema poster

Karthik Pasupulate

It's been two days since Samantha tweeted "Saw a poster of a yet to be released Telugu film. Not only is it deeply regressive, but its point is actually that it is deeply regressive." The online furore generated by the tweet just refuses to die down. For a fact, Sam did not even mention the name of the movie she was talking about.
Angry Mahesh Babu fans kick started "GetLostSamanthaAnd Siddharth" and it was trending in Hyderabad in second place. The deluge of hate messages claiming the same have successfully diverted the attention from the crux of the issue " is the poster regressive?
The poster shows actress Kriti Sanon crawling like a love sick puppy dog chasing footsteps of a not-soamused looking Mahesh Babu, holding his footwear in one hand (see pic above). "Someone please tell me this is a fake poster...have the highest regard for mahesh and sukumar...i do hope... it's a fake," posted Nandini Reddy.
Well, looks like it is just a continuation of Mahesh is just too good for any woman syndrome' that we have been noticing from the time of Athadu. Remember the popular episode where Mahesh taunts Trisha about her modest looks saying, "Kallu emi antha peddaga levu...mukku kuda evaro Kottinattu konchem lopalaki untadi, pedda colour kuda kadu kada..." (your eyes are small, nose is bent inwards and you are not even fair skinned) indirectly hinting at Mahesh's straight nose, and milky white' complexion!
In another scene, Trisha taunts him, "Erraga untavani pogara?" (You are proud of your fair complexion) Mahesh retorts with, "Avunu..." before breaking into a monologue.
Mana directors have never lost an opportunity to sneak in dialogues that rave about Mahesh's good looks in most of his films. In Dookudu, Mahesh taunts Samantha with barbs like "Nee colour enti? Na colour enti." "Bhumiki janedu levu ente nee confidence." "Nenu pakkana ninchunte bhumi ninchi first floor ni chusi nattu ila chusthunnavu," and the works, indicating how short she is. In Seethamma Vakitlo Sirimalle Chettu, we have a dialogue which goes "Ento eemadhya ammayilu ila padi pothunnaru naku..." (wonder why all the women are falling in love with me)
In that context, this poster seems to be in line with the predominant sentiment. Telugu film historian Harikrishna Mamidi reckons there is more to the Mahesh is so beautiful phenomenon' than what meets the eye. "Traditionally, beauty has been considered a female virtue. But in the age of metrosexual man, we have the idea of male beauty in direct competition with feminine beauty. In Tollywood, it has found a manifestation in Mahesh Babu," shares Harikrishna.
However, there are others who believe that such instances just reiterate the irrelevance of the woman in Tollywood's mindscape. "You don't need to be a gender studies expert to figure out what that poster suggests. That mainstream Telugu cinema promotes medieval male tendencies is a known fact. But this poster marks a new low. Disrespect to women keeps manifesting in different ways on screen, be it the style of romance, the item numbers, the corny one-liners... the list goes on," says Mahesh Kumar Katti, a film activist.
Clearly, every Tollywood hero worth his salt endorses regressive male attitudes through movies under the faade of entertainment. And their fans want just that.
karthik.pasupulate@timesgroup.com

The poster says it all