In October 2025, when the promo for the movie Spirit came out on Prabhas’ birthday, the line “India’s biggest superstar Prabhas” set off a fandom war on social media. It wasn’t a formal statement, but it was evident that the fans of a Hindi superstars were offended.
Pranay Reddy Vanga (producer and brother of director Sandeep Reddy Vanga), while promoting a Telugu movie on Friday, said that it’s indeed true that they were “hurt”. “Because a star from the south was called that, many there were naturally hurt. It doesn’t matter, though. It’s one’s perception. We are entitled to project our hero the way we deem fit,” Pranay shared.
Prabhas’ consent was taken
The title India’s biggest superstar Prabhas was used only after Prabhas said okay to the proposal by the Kabir Singh director. Prabhas’ reaction when told about the tag was essentially “Mee Ishtam Darling” (“As you wish, Darling”).
It must be noted that there wasn’t a single unified Bollywood response. No major Hindi-film star or official body weighed in publicly on the online fandom war. It was mostly a fan-driven spat, amplified further because Spirit was already carrying controversy from Deepika Padukone’s exit from the project and director Vanga’s public comments about her. The title was widely read as a direct jab at the standing of a Bollywood superstar. His fanbase reacted with visible anger online.
Ranbir was reluctant to be given a tag
He also revealed that Ranbir Kapoor was very reluctant for the tag “Superstar” to be given to him. “He told Sandeep that his grandfather and father never used such a tag. He told us there is no such trend in Bollywood. Eventually, he asked Sandeep to take a final call,” Pranay added.
Prabhas is the only pan-Indian cinema star who is doing three movies simultaneously. Fauzi, Spirit and Kalki 2 are under production. “He is currently shooting for Fauzi. He will rejoin Spirit a few days from now,” Pranay revealed.
Also Read: Salman Khan Vs Prabhas: Is a Box-office Clash Now Inevitable?
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