Anything can happen on social media. 'Baahubali-2', believe it or not, has spawned a political controversy on the virtual world. Sections of critics and their counter-critics among common folks have been wading into a Hindutva vs Secularism battle on Twitter and Facebook.

If you don't believe this, read on...

When 'Baahubali-The Beginning' was released in 2015, many pro-Hindutva users on social media projected it as a proper "Hindu film" which was deliberately being ignored by "pseudo-secular" media. They alleged that while films like 'PK' got much space in electronic media, Rajamouli's film was being given a step-motherly treatment. This narrative was not limited to nameless individuals.

In an article published in a nationally-famous portal which is read by academics, intellectuals and scholars alike, a commentator suggested that there was an organized attempt to paint the movie as patriarchal and regressive under the pretext that Avanthika (Tamannah) gets molested by Shivudu (Prabhas). In contrast, the writer argued, there was total silence on the part of this feminist-Leftist brigade when 'Jodhaa-Akbar' was made. The Hrithik Roshan film had the element of a woman (Jodhaa) marrying an invader under "political compulsion". Was it nothing but subjugation and rape, the writer asked.

Two years later, an anti-'Baahubali-2' campaign is on.

Some of the reviews/tweets of 'Baahubali-2' have complained that the film doesn't boast of a single non-Hindu character. If this isn't ridiculous fault-finding, others see Hindutva politics at work in Rajamouli choosing to go for Lord Krishna as Kuntala's favourite God! Apparently, they bemoan that it's not a tribal god. Some others see 'Baahubali-2' as promoting casteism because it glorifies Kshastriya 'dharma'. Nothing is funnier. A warrior is a Kshatriya by conviction, not birth. There is not a single scene which shows that Amarendra Baahubali hails from this or that caste.

"For many reviewers, the idea of a period movie starts with 'Mughal-E-Azam' and ends with 'Jodha Akbar'. No wonder they keep searching for Secularism," a tweet by a 'Baahubali-2' fan reads.

"Now people have a problem with Baahubali ONLY because it doesn't have non-hindu characters? Is this a call for secularism or pure stupidity?" another shoots back.

"Katappa was asked to liquidate Baahubali who boasted of being a proud Hindu by Bhallaldev so that secularism shall prevail!" someone says, getting creatively sarcastic.