Conventionally, the rivalry between Chiranjeevi and Balakrishna is assumed to be only at the cinemas. Whenever their movies have clashed at the box office, their fans get excited. The clash between Mrugaraju and Narasimha Naidu in the early 2000s is well-known. Khaidi No. 150 and Gautamiputra Satakarni clashed during Sankranthi 2017. Waltair Veerayya and Veera Simha Reddy clashed during Sankranthi 2023.
But the BO clash has lost the zing. A new field where the two senior actors are locking horns has emerged. This is the digital arena. Sounds strange? No, they are not vying for online engagement for their social media posts. The new-found rivalry is all about staying in the mind space of digital consumers in the age of clickbait-y videos/news.
Unstoppable on Aha presented Balakrishna with the golden opportunity to indulge in jokes that don't befit his age and stature. Trying to act young, trying to be playful about women and romantic issues... We all know how youthful Balayya was on the show.
Chiranjeevi seems to have grasped the significance of such silly humour. He has started giving Balayya a run for his money because why not? At a recent pre-release event, he deliberately used a cuss word. He also outed the romantic escapades of his late grandfather, making sure that he subtly romanticized him. Millennials actually have the image of Chiranjeevi as a dignified public speaker. He is slowly crafting a new image for the Zoomer community. This is the age of sensational thumbnails and cheesy reels. So...
