Director Sukumar and actor Allu Arjun’s Pushpa films may have become a pop culture phenomenon, but not everyone is impressed, according to a report by Hindustan Times.
A government school teacher from Yusufguda, Hyderabad, recently voiced her concerns about the negative influence of mass media on students. Speaking to the Education Commission in a video posted by V6 News, she expressed her disappointment over how students are being shaped by what they watch.
Teacher criticises Pushpa’s impact
The teacher admitted that witnessing reckless behaviour among students makes her feel like she has “failed as an administrator.” She elaborated, “They sport unbearable hairstyles and talk vulgarly. We focus only on education and ignore this. This is the situation not only in government schools but in private schools, too. As an administrator, I feel like I’m failing.”
Blaming mass media for students’ behaviour, she claimed she felt powerless to discipline them due to potential repercussions. “They don’t seem to care even when we call parents to discuss these issues. You can’t even punish them because it might drive them to suicide. I have to blame the mass media for all this. Half the students in my school have become worse due to Pushpa. The film was certified with no concern for this,” she added.
Internet reacts
Her remarks sparked mixed reactions online. While some agreed with her, others felt she was oversimplifying a more complex issue. One user commented, “What she said is true. Some will get influenced by watching these types of movies.” Another added, “Manchi cheyakapoyina perledhu kani chedu cheyadhu (It’s okay if you don’t do good, but don’t make it worse).”
However, others reacted with sarcasm. One person wrote, “SIR movie chusi poor students ki free ga chaduvu cheppachu ga teacher (Then teach students for free after watching SIR).” Another quipped, “Akkad effect ayindhi students ra nayana (It’s the students who get affected though).”
About the Pushpa films
Directed by Sukumar, Pushpa: The Rise (2021) and Pushpa 2: The Rule (2024) follow Allu Arjun as Pushpa Raj, a daily wage labourer who rises to become a red sanders smuggler. Co-starring Rashmika Mandanna and Fahadh Faasil, the films have been massive box-office successes. Pushpa 2 even became the highest-grossing Indian film of 2024.
