Latest news with #Borse-starrer
Hindustan Times
07-08-2025
- Entertainment
- Hindustan Times
Fake apology letter from makers of Vijay Deverakonda's Kingdom circulates amid protests over portrayal of Lankan Tamils
Gowtam Tinnanuri's Vijay Deverakonda, Satyadev, Venkitesh, and Bhagyashri Borse-starrer Kingdom is facing flak for its portrayal of Sri Lankan Tamils as villains. Pro-Tamil outfit Naam Thamizhar Katchi (NTK) staged protests in Trichy, tore down posters, and stopped the film's screenings. Now, a fake apology letter from Sithara Entertainments, the producers of the film, is doing the rounds on social media. (Also Read: Protesters tear posters, demand ban on Vijay Deverakonda's Kingdom for villainous portrayal of Sri Lankan Tamils) Vijay Deverakonda's Kingdom ran into trouble for its portrayal of Sri Lankan Tamils as villainous. Fake apology letter from Kingdom makers doing rounds Sithara Entertainments or their representatives have not posted anything about the protest on social media or talked to the press about it. But soon, a letter claiming to be from the production house began doing the rounds online. It reads: 'We hereby confirm that we respect the sentiments of the Tamil people, and we promise that there are no scenes in the movie that are intended to hurt the sentiments of the local people. The story is completely fictional and imaginary. This is clearly mentioned in the disclaimer portion of the movie. If the sentiments of the people are hurt, we regret the incident. We kindly request you to support the movie.' However, a spokesperson for the production house confirmed to Hindustan Times that the letter was fake. When asked if the production house sent out an apology letter, the rep replied, 'It's fake.' Kingdom to release in Sri Lanka What's more, the producers are planning to now release Kingdom in Sri Lanka amid the protests. The film's team shared the news on social media that the film will be released there on 8 August. They wrote, 'Sri Lanka. Get Ready to Witness the Action-packed Spy Saga #KINGDOM (Tamil). Releasing Grandly in theatres on August 8th.' A theatre list was also released for those interested in watching the film. Meanwhile, the NTK staged protests across Trichy and claimed that the portrayal of Sri Lankan Tamils in the film was offensive. One video taken at the Jagan Theatre in Ramanathapuram shows protesters climbing up the roof of the theatre despite the police presence and ripping down the Kingdom poster. The Tamil outfit also took offence to Venkitesh's character being named after Lord Murugan despite being the main antagonist.
Hindustan Times
06-08-2025
- Entertainment
- Hindustan Times
Protesters tear posters, demand ban on Vijay Deverakonda's Kingdom for villainous portrayal of Sri Lankan Tamils
Gowtam Tinnanuri's Vijay Deverakonda, Satyadev, Venkitesh and Bhagyashri Borse-starrer Kingdom ran into trouble for its portrayal of Sri Lankan Tamils. Cadres from the Naam Thamizhar Katchi (NTK), a pro-Tamil party, held protests outside theatres screening Kingdom in Madurai, Trichy and demanded a ban on the film's screening. Videos of them tearing down the film's posters are also doing the rounds on social media. Venkitesh played a Sri Lankan Tamil called Murugan who faces off against Vijay Deverakonda's Suri. Protest against Vijay Deverakonda's Kingdom One video taken at the Jagan Theatre in Ramanathapuram shows protesters climbing up the roof of the theatre despite the police presence and ripping down the Kingdom poster. Sharing it, an X (formerly Twitter) user wrote, '#Kingdom - banners torn by the members of Naam Tamizhar Katchi to protest bad portrayal of Eelam tamils in the movie!' Saravanan, State Propaganda Secretary of NTK spoke to the press and India Today reported him saying, 'The movie demeans LTTE (Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam) fighters and Eezham Tamils. They fought for 30 years and died, but are shown as enslaved people living in the mountain areas. This is an attempt to twist historical facts, and we can't allow it. They have not had justice until now, and many are still missing. Naam Thamizhar Katchi won't tolerate such acts of hurting them.' Members of the political outfit were also reportedly furious that the makers named Venkitesh's character, the film's antagonist, after the Tamil deity Lord Murugan. They took offence to Sri Lankan Tamils being portrayed as villains. The protesters also reportedly met with prominent theatre management and only left after they were assured a meeting would be held between distributors to halt the screening of the film. The distributors, however, have approached the Madras High Court seeking police protection. About Kingdom Gowtam's action drama film Kingdom tells the story of a police constable turned spy called Suri (Vijay) and his long-lost brother Siva (Satyadev). It shows a tribe from Srikakulam migrating to a small island in Sri Lanka called Divi to escape the wrath of the British colonisers. The film also explores how the immigrants are exploited by a local cartel led by Odiyappan (Baburaj) and his son Murugan (Venkitesh). Kingdom was released in theatres on 31 July and has collected over ₹82 crore worldwide. It was dubbed in all south Indian languages and Hindi.
Hindustan Times
03-08-2025
- Entertainment
- Hindustan Times
Kingdom box office collection day 4: Vijay Deverakonda film slows down, crosses ₹40 crore
Kingdom worldwide box office collection day 1: Gowtam Tinnanuri's Vijay Deverakonda, Satyadev, Venkitesh, and Bhagyashri Borse-starrer Kingdom was released in theatres on Friday. There were a lot of expectations riding on the film, especially since the last few films of Vijay haven't performed that well. Kingdom opened to positive reviews upon release and made a good start at the box office. Let's see how the film has fared by the end of its first weekend. (Also read: Naga Vamsi addresses gripe around Hridayam Lopala song missing from Kingdom: 'Want to see Vijay Deverakonda kiss?') Kingdom box office collection day 4: Vijay Deverakonda plays a constable-turned-spy in the film. Kingdom box office update As per the latest update on Sacnilk, Kingdom saw a dip on its fifth day of release, which also marks its first Sunday. It collected ₹7 crore, as per early estimates. The film started with an extended weekend in sight, opening on Thursday with ₹ 18crore. On Friday, the film collected ₹ 7.5 crore. Saturday saw a rise in collections of ₹8 crore. The overall collections now stand at ₹40.5 crore. Kingdom is yet to cross the lifetime haul of Liger, Vijay's pan-India release which hit theatres before the pandemic in 2019. Liger's lifetime haul stands at ₹ 41.17 crore. About Kingdom Kingdom tells the story of a police constable turned spy named Suri, played by Vijay, who goes to Sri Lanka on a mission for the Indian government and to look for his long-lost brother Siva, played by Satyadev. Bhagyashri plays Dr Madhu and Venkitesh plays Murugan in the action-drama film. It ends on a cliffhanger, setting up a new villain. Producer Naga Vamsi said at the press meet post-release, 'I can proudly say that no film released in 2025 in the last seven months was this technically brilliant. We made this film to Hollywood film standards.' He also confirmed at a press meet after the film's release that the sequel will be shot after Vijay finishes his other projects.
