In a viral meme on Twitter, Abhishek Tripathi, the Panchayat secretary in web show 'Panchayat 2', is seen attempting to open Tollywood actor Mahesh Babu's eyes to the realities of the Indian village. "Villages are like this, not like the ones you see in movies," the message says. 'Panchayat 2' has become a huge hit on Prime Video, depicting a realistic rural drama and referring to the Indian village as a "real place with real people," according to critics. On the other hand, Mahesh Babu's films 'Srimanthudu' and 'Maharshi' romanticised the daily grind and oversimplified rural issues, leading to comparisons of his films to 'real' rural stories on social media sites.
It's worth noting that Mahesh Babu's films tend to have simple plots that avoid even briefly addressing political, caste-based, and other complex issues. That is why sloppy films like 'Srimanthudu' and 'Maharshi,' as well as the recently released 'SVP' seem to offend discerning audiences. Mahesh Babu has been a soft target for many trolls on social media since he stated during one of his media interactions that Bollywood could not afford him. Despite the debate and defence of his fans, Mahesh Babu is also being chastised for his monotonous, 'message-oriented' films.