Government school teacher claims students are ‘worse’ now due to Allu Arjun’s Pushpa films: ‘They talk vulgarly’

Director Sukumar and actor Allu Arjun’s Pushpa films might have become a pop culture phenomenon, but a government school teacher from Yusufguda, Hyderabad, is not impressed. Talking to the Education Commission in a video posted by V6 News, she rued about students becoming influenced by mass media. (Also Read: Allu Arjun was ‘scared’ of wearing saree in Pushpa 2 The Rule’s jathara sequence: ‘We had a very macho photoshoot’)

School teacher hits out at Pushpa

The teacher stated that she feels like she ‘failed as an administrator’ when she sees students in schools behave recklessly. She said, “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.”

She then claimed that as a teacher, she doesn’t feel like she can ‘punish students’ because it might pressure them, blaming mass media for their behaviour. “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 statement received mixed reactions from fans, with some on X (formerly Twitter) agreeing with her and others calling her out for simplifying something more nuanced. One person commented, “What she said is true. Some will get influenced by watching these types of movies.” Another agreed, “Manchi cheyakapoyina perledhu kani chedu cheyadhu (It’s okay if you don’t do good but don’t make it worse).”

However, people also reacted to her statement 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 wondered if students would aim for IAS or take up farming after watching Game Changer and Maharshi. But one X user reminded them, “Akkad effect ayindhi students ra nayana (It’s the students who get affected though).”

About the Pushpa films

Sukumar’s 2021 film Pushpa: The Rise and 2024 film Pushpa 2: The Rule see Arjun play a daily wage worker turned red sanders smuggler called Pushpa Raj. Rashmika Mandanna and Fahadh Faasil also headline the films which performed well at the box office and received favourable reviews. Pushpa 2: The Rule even became the highest-grossing Indian film of 2024.