Artists make cinema, cinema makes stars, stars generate fans, and fans celebrate cinema. But somewhere along the way, the cycle has been reversed. Today, it is fans who are crafting films around their idols, for other fans to celebrate and this has quietly become a new kind of cinema. The one that our directors and stars are embracing.
What began as admiration has now come full circle: directors who once queued up in single-screen theatres are making movies that feel less like stories and more like cinematic love letters. The screen has turned into a stage, where characters exist primarily to glorify stars, and stars are elevated to near-mythical heights.
The pattern is impossible to miss. Lokesh Kanagaraj’s ‘Vikram’ didn’t just bring Kamal Haasan back, it built an entire cinematic universe. Adhik Ravichandran’s ‘Good Bad Ugly’, starring Ajith Kumar, leaned into callbacks so heavily that it became a nostalgia overload for the actor’s loyal fanbase. In Telugu cinema, the same phenomenon played out with Pawan Kalyan’s ‘They Call Him OG’, which was marketed and staged as a full-blown fan event where every frame is designed for applause.
Look further and the trend is not just limited to one industry. In fact, it extends across industries: Karthik Subbaraj’s ‘Petta’ for Rajinikanth, Prithviraj Sukumaran’s ‘L2 Empuraan’, even Atlee’s collaborations with Vijay, all films seem to be shaped by a fans’ gaze as much as a filmmaker’s.
But, here lies the dilemma: is this fan-driven filmmaking the industry’s newest commercial formula, or a dangerous addiction? When scripts are written to trigger whistles rather than tell stories, when characters are sculpted by fandom rather than conflict – are we watching cinema evolve, or watching it get trapped in its own echo chamber?
Why do fanboy films work?
Fan lens supremacy: Fan service has always existed in Indian cinema, especially in the South. Punch dialogues, gravity-defying stunts, and whistle-worthy entrances have long been staples of the “mass” experience. But what sets today’s “fanboy films” apart is how completely they are built around a star’s persona. These aren’t films that simply feature big heroes, they are designed almost entirely as vehicles of celebration, packaging nostalgia, mass moments, and callbacks into a formula that excites fans instantly.
Take Atlee and Vijay as an example. Their collaboration began with ‘Theri’ (2016). Vijay had already been a mass hero, but ‘Theri’ redefined how his image was staged. From his introduction sequence to the father-daughter beats to the smallest quirks of the character, every element felt tailor-made for fans. The formula worked, creating a box-office storm and launching a director-star partnership that extended to ‘Mersal’ and ‘Bigil’. On paper, these films explored different genres, but on screen, all of them screamed “Thalapathy.”
From subtle MGR (MG Ramachandran, former Tamil Nadu Chief Minister and actor) references to dropping hints about his political entry, these films were not just commercial entertainers, but also captured Vijay’s aspirations beyond cinema.
Then there’s ‘Vikram’. Lokesh Kanagaraj certainly celebrated Kamal Haasan, but he also built a layered gangster drama with a non-linear screenplay and cinematic ambition. The famous interval block, where Kamal re-enters with raw intensity, worked not just as a fan moment but as a storytelling peak. That’s why ‘Vikram’ is often seen as an anomaly: it struck a rare balance between fandom and filmmaking.
At the other extreme lies ‘Good Bad Ugly’. The film is so overloaded with references to Ajith’s past, from ‘Dheena’ to ‘Billa’, that it often feels like a feature-length fan edit. And yet, it connected with his base, because it delivered exactly what they wanted: a celebration of Ajith by someone who clearly worships him.
Sujeeth’s ‘They Call Him OG’ with Pawan Kalyan occupies the middle ground. Unlike ‘Good Bad Ugly’, it doesn’t rely on endless nostalgia, but it unleashes Pawan in a beastly avatar his fans have long imagined. Every frame is mounted like an event. Even when the screenplay falters, the aura of the star carries it forward.
The young voice effect: What ties these films together is the gaze of young directors. These aren’t veteran filmmakers collaborating with stars; they are fans-turned-directors who grew up idolising these legends and now wield the technical tools to reimagine them. That combination creates a distinctive new grammar – one that is stylish, technically sharp, and emotionally plugged into fan culture.
Lokesh’s use of motion-controlled rigs in ‘Vikram’, Adhik’s playful de-ageing techniques in ‘Good Bad Ugly’, or the sound design and editing flourishes in ‘OG’ – all reflect this. They are not merely tributes; they are fan interpretations filtered through global cinema influences. And that, in turn, is why even stars seem to enjoy these outings. They are not just acting; they are rediscovering themselves through the eyes of their young fan directors.
Nostalgia, a powerful tool: Another key factor is nostalgia. Fanboy films thrive on callbacks and Easter eggs. Lokesh’s ‘Vikram’ tied back to Kamal’s 1986 classic, building an entire cinematic universe around it. ‘Good Bad Ugly’ functioned almost like a puzzle, with Ajith’s past roles referenced at dizzying frequency. ‘OG’ nodded to ‘Johnny’ and ‘Thammudu’, while even weaving in Japanese underworld elements, a wink to fan fantasies and pop culture crossovers.
For fans, nostalgia is not just a gimmick. It is a validation of memory and loyalty, a moment where the director seems to say, “I’m one of you.” That emotional bond often becomes the film’s biggest selling point.
Why it’s a scary trend?
Spectacle over substance: The concern, however, is what happens when storytelling is sacrificed at the altar of fan service. In the early 2000s, director Shankar, himself a fan of Rajinikanth, gave us ‘Sivaji: The Boss’ and ‘Enthiran’. These weren’t just fan-service films; they were visionary spectacles with strong narratives that appealed far beyond Rajini’s core base. Fan moments existed, but they were layered into larger cinematic ambitions.
The same can be said for Gautham Menon’s ‘Vettaiyaadu Vilaiyaadu’ and several other examples from that period. But you can’t say the same for most recent fanboy films. ‘Vikram’ remains the shining exception, but many others reduce themselves to compilations of star moments stitched together by thin plots. Secondary characters fade, logic bends, and conflict often takes a backseat. Cinema becomes less about narrative arcs and more about applause breaks.
This creates a double-edged sword. Fans are delighted, but general audiences often walk away disappointed. ‘Good Bad Ugly’ may thrill Ajith loyalists, but it risks alienating viewers outside that circle. ‘They Call Him OG’ promised fireworks but ended up revolving almost entirely around Pawan Kalyan, leaving the rest underdeveloped.
The expectation trap: Perhaps the bigger danger is what fanboy films are doing to audience expectations. Lokesh Kanagaraj raised the bar with ‘Vikram’. But when he announced ‘Coolie’ with Rajinikanth, the conversations immediately shifted: “Will we see a ‘Thalapathy’ callback? Will Shobana appear? Which vintage Rajni moments will be shown? Nagarjuna? Upendra?” Fan service is no longer an add-on; it has become a demand.
That pressure can warp filmmaking. Directors may start designing films entirely around whistles and callbacks rather than stories. Over time, the industry risks sliding into the same trap Bollywood did with remixes – an endless cycle of recycled nostalgia with little originality.
Fanboy films are intoxicating. They thrill fans, reimagine stars, and inject theatres with a festival vibe. They show us what happens when admiration becomes authorship. But the risk is real: if fandom outweighs storytelling, cinema could shrink into self-parody. The question isn’t whether fanboy films work. Clearly, they do. The real question is, will cinema grow with them, or will it be consumed by them?
– Ends