- Vijay Deverakonda has called the online debate around Ranabaali and Jailer 2 manufactured.
- The actor said repeated opinions across social media could point to a coordinated campaign .
- Speaking at the trailer launch in Hyderabad, Vijay said he would not change himself to please his critic.
Vijay Deverakonda believes the noise around his upcoming film Ranabaali and Rajinikanth's Jailer 2 is not entirely coming from moviegoers. The actor has alleged that much of the negative chatter online is being pushed deliberately, with people allegedly being paid to promote one film over the other.
The actor spoke about the issue at the trailer launch of Ranabaali in Hyderabad on Thursday. Reacting to the debate over which film audiences should choose, Vijay said he did not see the online comments as genuine hate, claiming that a large part of the criticism was manufactured.
“First of all, we can't even call it hate. Because 90% of it is manufactured. There's a batch that drops Reels at a time that they'd rather watch Jailer 2 over Ranabaali, despite it being a Telugu film,” he said.
The discussion has drawn attention because it involves two films from different film industries, with Ranabaali being a Telugu film and Jailer 2 being a Telugu project. Vijay suggested that the online conversation was being shaped to make it appear as though audiences had already picked a side.
According to the actor, people are free to prefer one film over another. However, he questioned why similar opinions seem to appear across several social media accounts around the same time. “People can have opinions, but if you see the same opinion everywhere, it's manufactured,” he said.
Vijay also alleged that some people were being paid to target him online. He suggested that those behind such campaigns might not be able to continue doing so forever, particularly as artificial intelligence develops and could eventually replace people carrying out these tasks.
Vijay Deverakonda also questioned why people use these platforms to pull others down instead of supporting something positive. “Use social media to promote and better things. What is the point of using it to bring down someone?” he asked.
Jailer 2 is scheduled to release in theatres on October 15, while Ranabaali is set for October 16.
Jailer 2
Rajinikanth is returning as Muthuvel Pandian in Jailer 2, the sequel to his 2023 action film Jailer. The sequel to the 2023 hit also features SJ Suryah, Mithun Chakraborty, Suraj Venjaramoodu, Ramya Krishnan and Vidya Balan. Directed by Nelson Dilipkumar, the project has been bankrolled by Sun Pictures.
Ranabaali
Ranabaali features Vijay Deverakonda as Ranabaali, a fierce 19th-century rebel and legend who fought against colonial rule, and Rashmika Mandanna as Jayamma. The film is produced by Mythri Movie Makers.