Telugu superstar Pawan Kalyan issued a long statement urging fans to stop wars over their matinee idols and support the art of cinema during a promotional event of his film They Call Him OG. His statement comes at a time when social media has been flooded with spoilers, minute-by-minute reviews, and mock fan wars. A few days ago, Pawan Kalyan supported Rishab Shetty's Kantara Chapter 1 after a section of the Telugu audience opposed the film in Andhra Pradesh.
"I am appealing to all of the fans of every hero, what I wish is... let me tell you, I'm genuinely saying this from the heart: Always love whom you adore. Be it any hero, from Jr. NTR to Allu Arjun, from Prabhas garu to Chiranjeevi garu, or anyone else, Ram Charan garu, or Nani garu... any hero, any language hero...
"From the bottom of my heart, I enjoy their work, I appreciate their work. Because I love art. I am a lover of art," says Pawan Kalyan.
Urging fans to love the art of cinema instead of spreading hatred, Pawan Kalyan says, "If a heart despises another hero, it means that heart is not in a good place. That's why I never have those kinds of thoughts. Therefore, to the fans of all heroes — including my own fans — my advice is: Stop doing these fan wars. I'll tell you why.
"You know how hard we work. You know how many nights we spend, how many scoldings we get at home. Many people... Sujeeth could not see his wife and kid for almost one and a half months; he didn't even go home. Some of us do it out of necessity. Please, don't kill cinema with these fan wars."
"The lifespan of a film has become short. It's six days. Earlier, we used to hold functions like this for 100 days, 150 days. Now it's over in six days. So please, please stop the fan wars. Let us appreciate each other," Pawan Kalyan adds.
"You shouldn't say, 'Don't watch this,' or 'It shouldn't be like that.' When you abuse and curse each other, ugliness in society increases. It is not good for anyone. It is not good for anyone.
"This is my request to you all. I will leave it to your discretion how much you change, but I will always do what I can within my boundaries. I respect the fans of all heroes. I respect the audiences of all heroes. Let us welcome and celebrate good cinema. If it inspires us, we will take it forward. If you don't like it, you don't have to do it," Pawan Kalyan concludes.
Pawan Kalyan's They Call Him OG had a stellar opening. The film was touted to be one of the biggest openers of 2025. However, it couldn't retain its pace over the weekdays and minted Rs 161 crore in seven days.