Tollywood is witnessing one of its most ugly fan wars in recent years as Ram Charan supporters have taken to social media to viciously target Jr NTR, sparked by what appears to be a bitter rivalry over box office performance and international recognition.
The conflict has escalated to the point where Ram Charan fans are creating morph videos, fake edits, and using other offensive tactics to troll NTR’s latest film updates, marking a disturbing new chapter in the decades-long rivalry between the two megastars’ fan bases.
The Trigger: Peddi vs Devara Box Office Battle
The latest fan war erupted after Ram Charan’s film “Peddi” failed to match the overseas performance of NTR’s “Devara” in key markets, particularly North America. According to NTR fans, Peddi’s box office numbers fell significantly behind Devara’s impressive international earnings.
NTR fans argue that Peddi failed to match the performance of Devara in key overseas markets such as North America, which has triggered a backlash from Ram Charan supporters who are now using social media to attack NTR personally.
The box office comparison has become the battleground where both fan bases are fighting to prove their hero’s superiority, with each side claiming their actor is the bigger global star.
The RRR Shadow: A Competition That Never Ended
The rivalry between NTR and Ram Charan has been brewing since the announcement of SS Rajamouli’s blockbuster “RRR,” where both actors starred as leads. Since then, constant debates, mutual trolling, and a competitive environment have dominated their fan interactions.
Both actors are indulged in comparisons, and each statement from the movie’s team or from other celebrities is put under a magnifying lens, becoming a source for conflicts. The fan wars have been well-known, and to avoid further issues, the two heroes even had to remove their common PR representative sometime back.
As everyone knows, the fans fought online over the “Global Star” issue, which added more fuel to the rivalry between the two actors from RRR.
The Hollywood Critics Association Incident: NTR’s Absence Sparks Fury
The tension reached new heights when the Hollywood Critics Association held an awards ceremony in Los Angeles where RRR bagged awards in four out of eight categories. While Ram Charan grabbed the spotlight along with director Rajamouli, Jr NTR was conspicuous by his absence.
Upset NTR fans took to social media to kick up a fuss against the Hollywood Critics Association, highlighting his absence especially since Ram Charan was dominating the headlines. Although NTR fans were aware he was mourning the recent loss of his cousin Tarak, that did not stop them from emphasizing his absence.
This incident hasn’t stopped their ardent fans from going after each other and the heroes, with the announcement that both actors would feature as leads in RRR taking the fan wars to frenzied levels.
The “Global Star” Crown: Ram Charan’s Title That Annoyed NTR Fans
In a move that added more fuel to the fire, Ram Charan’s fans conferred the title of “Global Star” upon their hero. Interestingly, Ram Charan being conferred the title of “Global Star” has added more fuel to the rivalry between the two actors from RRR.
Apparently, NTR Jr’s fans wanted him to be conferred the title of the “Global Star,” which has created tension between the fan bases. Sources from Hyderabad say the two Telugu superstars tend to sit down and mend their differences very shortly, but the fans continue the fight.
It has been speculated that NTR isn’t all too happy with the international coverage given to Ram Charan during the RRR awards campaign, further souring the relationship between the two camps.
The Jealousy Over Rajamouli’s Attention: A Fan’s Perspective
Ram Charan fans have been feeling that Rajamouli is giving more importance to Jr NTR and sidelining Ram Charan. According to sources, this perceived bias has created underlying competitive tension that is keeping the two actors apart.
Despite appearing to have a great time together in Rajamouli’s presence, there seems to be underlying competitive tension that is keeping them apart. Apart from this, it is evident that Ram Charan has been making his way into Hollywood circles with the help of Priyanka Chopra, bypassing Rajamouli.
As per close sources, the two heroes are not getting along openly due to the fear of their fans and professional competition aspect.
The Dance Battle: Rajamouli Comments That Sparked Another Rift
Even their dancing abilities have become a battleground. When there was a discussion about the Natu Natu song in an interactive session in the West, Rajamouli had said that Jr NTR is known to be a terrific dancer who hardly needs any practice beforehand.
He went on to say that NTR had to practice for Natu Natu only to match with Charan’s timing, else he wouldn’t need any sort of practice. These statements were taken out of context by both fans, and NTR fans are celebrating it as a sign of dominance, claiming that NTR is a better dancer according to Rajamouli.
On the other hand, Charan fans are defending their hero’s dancing abilities, and these online fistfights are nothing new between these two.
The Ugly Tactics: Morph Videos, Fake Edits, and Personal Attacks
But on social media platforms, Ram Charan fans have been targeting NTR with morph videos, fake edits, and many more things to troll the song. The song doesn’t deserve this trolling, but it has been happening only due to the ugly fan war between both the actors.
The fan wars have reached such ugly levels that even character artists are not being spared. Now NTR fans are giving it back to them by ridiculing Srikanth’s look from Ram Charan’s upcoming film “Game Changer” directed by Shankar.
Srikanth plays Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh in the film, and NTR fans are trolling that Srikanth looks odd and his prosthetic makeup is pathetic.
The Suicide Attempt That Shocked Tollywood: When Fan Wars Turn Deadly
The rivalry has reached such dangerous levels that it has even led to violent incidents. In one tragic case, a Jr NTR’s fan made a suicide attempt after a clash with Ramcharan fans. While NTR’s fans were trying to hang a banner at a theatre in Kodad, Nalgonda district, Telangana, and Charan fans reportedly objected to the banner.
The film fans of the Megastar family and the Nandamuri family have sought no big reason to either get into a verbal or physical fight over film records, the stardom of their heroes, talent, and other reasons such as hits, remakes, and flops.
What the Actors Themselves Say: Ram’s Direct Punch to NTR and Charan
Apart from Telugu films being the bone of connection between these three heroes, there is nothing personal between them to take dig at one another. However, a comment made by Hero Ram is said to indirectly targeting these top-stars.
The other day, hero Ram stated that “Naaku Legacy la tho sambandham ledu…Records tho assalu pani ledhu…Cinema chesetappudu naaku nachali…chesaka meeku nachali..anthey” (I don’t care about Legacy and never mind about records. While working I should like it and after watching you should love it. That’s all).
Is he meaning about the doings of our hereditary heroes is the question of many now. We cannot simply rule out that Ram doesn’t mean anything about Junior or Charan. Given the fact that most Jr NTR films keep rambling about legacy, legendary background and records, Ram’s arrow is hitting him straight.
Even three film old Ram Charan also joined the category of “maa naanna, maa taatha…maa records” with “Racha” dialogues and song lyrics adding a spice to it.
The Future: Will the Actors Mend Their Relationship?
Sources from Hyderabad say the two Telugu superstars tend to sit down and mend their differences very shortly. However, the fans continue to fight regardless of what the actors themselves do.
The pressure to prove himself a star far beyond Andhra Pradesh was immense for both actors, but it looks like Ram Charan has won the battle in terms of international recognition, according to his fans. Henceforth, he will be addressed as the “Global Star” in all his movie credits.
What This Means for Tollywood: A Warning to the Industry
The ugly fan war between NTR and Ram Charan supporters is a warning to the Tollywood industry about the dangers of competitive fan culture. When fans take personal attacks to such extreme levels, it can damage the industry’s reputation and create toxic environments for actors and crew members.
The industry needs to address this issue seriously before it leads to more violent incidents or drives away international collaborators who might be uncomfortable with such fan behavior.
