Overview
- Varma published a long social‑media note on Friday that began with the three words “I HATE MICHAEL” and said he "hates Michael Jackson for dying," framing the feeling as grief that Jackson proved mortal.
- In the post Varma recalled a formative January 1984 viewing of Thriller in a Vijayawada video parlour and said Jackson's music and visuals reshaped his sense of performance.
- Varma explicitly dismissed Jackson's scandals as "background noise," saying his anger was not about alleged misconduct but about the collapse of a myth he had cherished.
- The reaction comes as Antoine Fuqua's Michael, starring Jaafar Jackson, continues to perform strongly at the box office with reported global receipts near $700 million and has prompted mixed critical response to its editorial choices.
- Varma's raw, personal note has circulated widely in Indian media and contrasts with public praise from some celebrities, sharpening conversations about how audiences separate artistic achievement from a public figure's controversies.