There used to be a time when fans of the two lead actors in Mollywood, Mammootty and Mohanlal, engaged in a war of words – online and offline – every time a film of either of the actors was released. One thought, things would get better as years passed by, but looks like things have only got worse.
Admiring an actor is all about denouncing another one these days, and with fans becoming increasingly obsessed with numbers and records, the fan warfare has moved on to entirely new levels. The promotional agencies of the films join the fray as well, and the release of a new teaser, a trailer, a song promo or the film itself is eventually followed by a mud slinging match.
The focus seems to be on the YouTube records these days, if not on the actual box office collections, and the tall claims on one side are countered with equal ferocity with trolls from the other end. At times, this goes on for days at end, drawing in the two most respected actors in the business, into the fracas, without their knowledge or compliance.
Mammootty and Mohanlal have set an excellent example for themselves and have consistently displayed the warm camaraderie that they have maintained over the years. There are perhaps few actors who have shared as warm a relationship as these two have, and time and again they have proclaimed that neither of them are active runners in the rat race, and that these numbers and records are of least interest to them. And yet, a few of their admirers go on; proclaiming from the roof tops those fresh achievements, those new shattered BO records and those never ending YouTube miracles.
Which brings us to the million dollar question – aren’t we done with these number games in Mollywood as yet?