Larger than life image in films, flattery in uneven proportions and a group of sycophants surrounding them and above all the golden spoon from birth or the rags to riches make the actors snobbish and behave in an irrational way.
Saif Ali Khan was booked by Colaba police in Mumabi for punching an elderly man. He was partying with ten members while the victim was with a much smaller group. Saif, born to cricketer Mansoor Ali Khan Pataudi and actress Sharmila Tagore was in trouble earlier too for similar reasons.
You have actors who were booked for various nuisances like hunting endangered species, driving the car killing or injuring people sleeping on footpaths, possessing weapons, slapping others, drunken driving and of course for being in the world’s oldest profession.
Tollywood is not bereft of such indecent incidents. Mahesh Babu was booked for assaulting a trader in Warangal on charges of selling pirated CDs. Like a real time hero he raided the shop with his followers and created scene besides assaulting him. In olden days MR Radha had fired a real bullet at MGR during a shooting, pun unintended, due to ideological differences. We heard that Mohan Babu was booked in an assault case in Srikakulam district and he was also accused of slapping a Sakshi Sivanand’s sister for not acting properly.
Heroism is shown off-stage as well with the hangover of the on-set sequences lingering and Tollywood is known to hush up things, unless it is a major one. We know of shooting star Nandamuri Balakrishna and the developments that took place at his residence. We also know of a hero who used unparliamentarily language with a lady journalist. We know how many huts and slums were razed, accident or otherwise and solid structures like studios or mansion coming up soon after at the same place.
If you to want to experience the real highhandedness of Tollywood…just visit any shooting site, you are treated as dirt. The entire unit behaves as if they own the place and you are a trespasser even if it is a public place. There were incidents of public parks being shut down for shooting, roads blocked or traffic diverted to enable the shooting. All this is only because a cop or a mantri happens to be known to someone who knows the brother-in-law of a catering contractor whose nephew is married to the sister whose paternal uncle is a driver in the production unit.
Cases of rape, assault, suicide, drugs and the like have become common, most of them unreported. It is time some serious thinking is done and wise heads come together.