The Fallen Hero

The Fallen Hero

 It is appalling when we discover that someone we have revered and looked up to as a hero figure, as someone to emulate, turns out to be not only less than exemplary but more akin to the villain in real life.

A prominent and popular Southern hero who has recently been in the news for all the wrong reasons has been hogging all the headlines in the newspapers for his shocking shenanigans resulting in the murder of an online troll in the most filmy fashion, tying him up in a shed and literally beating him to death, aided by his army of flunkies.

The hapless victim’s fault? Careless words and lewd commentary in social media about the film star’s girlfriend in unflattering terms.

Trolling others online has become a disturbing trend, and people who in a face-to-face situation would never dream of uttering even one offensive word, suddenly feel emboldened to wax eloquent using extreme and unparliamentary language, hidden behind the wall of anonymity of the digital screen – be it a mobile or a computer. In the physical world they may be the most silent person in the room, but in the online platform they become free to roar like an unleashed lion, safe behind the smokescreen of a pseudo-name.

As deplorable as the troll’s comments may have been, but the film star’s radical reaction to actually beat him to death is more alarming. There is a law in the country, and other legal means can be adopted to deal with a rude online commenter.

It seems after acting in multiple macho films, the star-actor lost the plot, blurring the line between the reel and the real. He thought to apply in real life the kind of vigilante justice meted out to villains in our masala movies at the retributive hands of the hero.

The brutality of it all, the degree of vengeance, the complete disregard for the state machinery for justice – was like a potboiler unravelling scene by scene each day. With his carefully constructed screen persona shred to bits.

When you choose to be in the public space, along with the bouquets, brickbats are bound to be there. Deal with it.

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When reel heroes turn villains in real life…