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The milky way Is not the only way, fans seem to be realising

For decades, this was how the thousands of Boopathys of the world behaved when it came to displaying their love for their matinee idol.

Thankfully, the winds of change have managed to blow in some purpose into their lives. Many fans’ associations now spearhead movements that are of some use to society at large. And, the fans are putting their time, and hard-earned money to better use.

Over the years, much has been written about the good work undertaken by fans of Telugu superstar Chiranjeevi.

Their blood donation drives are legendary. The actor also runs the Chiranjeevi Charitable Trust, which runs an eye bank and a blood bank, fuelled largely by the enthusiasm of fans.

Something similar has been happening in our own film industry.

Take the case of actor Ajit, a votary of clean environment. In the past three years, members of his 50,000-plus fan clubs have quietly planted more than 5,000 saplings in and around Chennai, and are tending to them too, says R. Devendra, who looks after the All India Ajit Fans Welfare Association.

How does the actor, whose career received a shot in the arm with the slick Billa, rate this change of mentality among fans?

“Today, fans are more aware, and thanks to the media, the spotlight is on their good activities. But, I think it would be disrespectful to treat yesteryears fans shabbily. Whatever they did was out of love for an actor,” he states.

Of late, he has been requesting his fans to raising trees on all important occasions. And, they have complied.

“My fans have stood by me completely. I am nothing without them. But, I have told them not to go overboard in any of their activities. My focus is tree planting because the environment needs to be saved. And, then, population explosion. In their own little way, my fans are trying to create awareness about the ills of over population,” he says.

Channelling fans in a positive direction is a great thing, but at another level, how do stars react to all this adulation?

Ask Khushboo, who had a temple built in her honour, and an idli named after her, and she says: “I never had the time to react to these things. Moreover, my fans know that I am a very private person, and that I want them to focus more on their work.”

Another star with a heart is Madhavan, who has always been against fan clubs making a noise at the wrong time.

“If my fans want to spend money on milk, then I tell them to give it to an orphanage and not waste it by pouring it on posters,” says the actor, who has about 12,000 fan clubs in the State.

“But, I am very proud of my guys. They did some great work during the tsunami. But, I tell them that films are entertainment, and that they should be left at that.”

S. Ravikumar, Madhavan’s office manager says the actor’s fans typically collect rice and other necessities for distribution, help out needy kids with books, and the like.

Actor Suriya is known for his habit of supporting deserving causes, such as kidney disease and the DOTS campaign for tuberculosis. Little wonder that his plans for his fans are big.

“Till now, they have been giving away uniforms and notebooks, and organising blood donation camps. From this year, I want them to focus on education. We plan to recruit teachers across the State to take tuitions for underprivileged kids, and help them with their homework,” he says.

As for the change in attitude among fans, he attributes it to their “growing maturity level”.

My focus is tree planting because the environment needs to be saved. And, then, population explosion

I am very proud of my guys. They did some great work during the tsunami

From this year, we plan to recruit teachers to take tuitions for underprivileged kids.

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