How Fan Wars Helped This Young Director!

Young director Sai Marthand has created quite a buzz in Tollywood with his debut film Little Hearts. What seemed like a simple story was turned into a fun-filled entertainer, earning him praise from critics and applause from young audiences.

Interestingly, before stepping into films, Sai Marthand was popular as a meme creator. He openly admits that his experience in meme-making helped him craft humor in almost every scene of the movie. His smart use of social media not only sharpened his creativity but also gave him the right connections to enter the film industry.

In a recent interview, he revealed that he even used fan wars to build his career. During the time of Ponniyin Selvan’s release, the Tamil version did well but the Telugu audience gave mixed responses. This sparked heated debates online, with groups forming between supporters and critics of the film. Sai Marthand says he was part of the “haters’ batch,” preferring Baahubali over Ponniyin Selvan.

Surprisingly, this online activity helped him network. He recalled how a major production house’s marketing head once joined a social media discussion space. Someone in the group spoke positively about him, which led to an introduction with the creative producer of that production house. That meeting opened doors for him in the film industry.

Sai Marthand believes social media played a huge role in shaping his journey. What began with memes eventually pushed him into filmmaking, and today, with the success of Little Hearts, he stands as proof that unconventional paths can also lead to big opportunities in cinema.