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IS ASIF ALI GOING THE PRITHVIRAJ WAY?
Move over, Prithviraj. Asif Ali seems to be the hot new replacement for the hate campaign brigade on the Net
Parvathy S Nayar
In Mollywood, it does not pay to be outspoken or straightforward. Actor Prithviraj would vouch for that. Over the years, the actor has been the victim of online hate campaigns and outrageous SMSes about himself. However, it looks like Mollywood's younger actor Asif Ali is all set to take over Prithviraj's long-uncherished numero uno position in this regard! The slow but steady campaign, against Asif is gaining momentum on social networking sites, what with the actor being in the news for all the wrong reasons, of late. This, coupled with his recent flicks having an unimpressive run at the Box Office, has spurred the new hate wave. The most recent hit in the string of ridicules is the actor, pleading in an interview, not to compare him to superstar Mammootty!
It all began when Asif hogged attention during the celebrity cricket matches this year. "Although he was a member of the Kerala team, Asif hardly attended any practice session, and did not play a single match. However, even the busiest of stars made it to the grounds regularly. Further, he refused to attend calls, including those of team captain Mohanlal, and never bothered to report the reason for his absence. The impudence nearly got him expelled from the Association of Malayalam Movie Artists (AMMA)," says a source from the film fraternity.
Top that with Asif comparing himself to veteran actor Jagathy Sreekumar for not being mobile phone-savvy and the latter's tit for tat reply ridiculing him for the comparison. "Asif could never really live up to the Salt 'N Pepper magic he cast on the audience," opines a young M'wood starlet, on condition of anonymity. "Take his recent re l e a s e s,
A s u ra v i t h u and Unnam, for instance. He promised mind blowing performances, but they hardly had him doing anything extraordinary. Although Asif has a neat role in the recent hit Ordinary, he can hardly call the multi-starrer his film," adds the starlet.
However, a close pal of the actor tells us, the actor has finally woken up to criticism and is mending his ways, starting with attending phone calls or returning them. Will that help the online tirade subside? Only time will tell.
parvathy.nayar@timesgroup.
NEXT IN LINE: Asif Ali; (right) Prithviraj
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