Social media trolls have done it yet again: They’ve forced someone to apologise for speaking their mind.
This time, it is the Malayalam actor and director Roopesh Peethambaran who was at the receiving end of trolling on social media, seemingly by fans of actor Nivin Pauly.
Nivin's latest film and his debut film in Tamil, Richie hit the theatres on December 8 to mixed reviews. The same day, Roopesh Peethambaran, who directed the 2012 Dulquer Salman movie Theevram, took to Facebook to praise the Kannada film Ulidavaru Kandante, which Richie is loosely based on.
The 2014 Kannada film was written and directed by Rakshit Shetty. Calling Ulidavaru Kandante a "superior work of art," Roopesh wrote:
Soon, several users unleashed an online attack on Roopesh for what they claim was criticism of Nivin Pauly, leading Roopesh to edit his post to clarify that he was only "appreciating a friend's work from the past."
However, this did little to please Nivin's fans on social media, who took Roopesh's comments as an attack on the actor's calibre. Several users also questioned the timing of Roopesh's post, concluding that he was deliberately trying to pull Nivin down.
"It's pretty hard to imagine how a masterpiece turned into a piece!!" This sentence is too enough to insult and degrade the movie Richie. As a director, noone expected this from u on release date. Anyway please u remember that u have done a very worst movie called "Oru Mexican Aparatham" and u promoted that shit in so many channels also. So do u think that u r eligible to criticize "Richie" ?? Anyway u r have to face responses of nivin's fans," wrote one user.
"Look who is talking! Where have you reached with your sub-standard acting skills?" (abuses have been edited out.)
"The one who directed a movie like You Too Brutus is saying this. Why don't you go kill yourself?" asked another.
The comments on Roopesh's posts weren't there for everyone to see, but he himself posted screenshots of a few abuses he received on social media. Roopesh posted the screenshots along with a message to Nivin Pauly, to convey to his fans that he was praising Ulidavaru Kandante and not criticising Richie.
Although Roopesh replied to several of the comments on his post clarifying that he did not intend to criticise Richie, soon he came up with yet another post, this time, apologising for his words.
"More than an actor and a director, I am a movie lover. And because of that I tend to react passionately to movies. But I am also a professional in the cinema industry. I did not consider my responsibility in that regard when I reacted on the Kannada movie 'Ulidavaru Kandante,'" he wrote.
Saying that he realised his impulsive reaction was "a mistake which hurt a lot of people," Roopesh said that it was not in his intention to do so.
"I apologise for the pain I may have caused due to this. I am sorry," Roopesh wrote.