Latest news with #SouthernSensation
Time of India
5 days ago
- Entertainment
- Time of India
Vijay Deverakonda on Adding ‘The': ‘I just wanted to be known by my name'
Vijay Deverakonda addressed the controversy surrounding his decision to add 'The' to his name. He revealed that it stemmed from a desire to avoid restrictive taglines like "Southern Sensation" and to be recognized simply as Vijay Deverakonda throughout India. The actor emphasized that "The" was a subtle way to stand out without limiting his identity, even if it sparked criticism. Vijay Deverakonda had added the prefix 'The' to his name some time ago. But it continues to stir plenty of conversation. In an interview with The Hollywood Reporter, the Tollywood heartthrob spoke about how the prefix came about and why he felt no need for a grand tagline. 'There was a crazy amount of backlash just because I added 'The'. What's funny is, everyone else has taglines. People younger than me, older than me, even those who debuted before me use them. I was probably the only one without one,' he said. He explained that during Liger promotions, his team encouraged him to adopt a tagline, especially since the media had already coined labels like 'Southern Sensation' and 'Rowdy Star' for him. 'But none of those felt right. Southern Sensation felt limiting. I'm from India, and I want to be known across the country. All those tags felt restrictive. So I said, I just want to be known as Vijay Deverakonda. And if you really need a tag, 'The' is enough — nothing more,' he recalled. The choice, he admitted, didn't go down well with everyone. 'People reacted like, 'How can you call yourself The?' And I was like — that's the whole point. I don't want a tag. If even 'The' feels like too much for people, I don't need anything beyond my name. Vijay Deverakonda is enough.' -TNN
NDTV
6 days ago
- Entertainment
- NDTV
Why Vijay Deverakonda Faced Flak For Adding 'The' Tag To His Name: "There Was A Crazy Amount Of Backlash"
New Delhi: Telugu superstar Vijay Deverakonda has made headlines once again, this time for removing the honorific "The" tag from his name. The decision came after he faced massive trolling for using "The" title in his name during Liger promotions. In an interview with The Hollywood Reporter India, Vijay addressed the criticism and revealed that he has now dropped the tag. Talking about the backlash, Vijay said, "That was a whole situation in itself. There was a crazy amount of backlash because 'The' was added to my name. Interestingly, no other person has ever received backlash for something like that. You can have any name—from Universal Star to People's Star—and people younger than me, older than me, those who debuted before me, everyone has a tagline. I was probably the only one without one. Nobody else gets backlash." Vijay shared that his team suggested adding a tag to his name during Liger promotions as fans and media had already started giving him various titles like "Southern sensation" and "Rowdy star". Initially hesitant, he eventually agreed to their suggestion. "When they write articles, the press, sometimes, likes to call me 'Southern Sensation', 'Rowdy boy', 'Rowdy Star', and different variants. I don't know how they pick these things. I am not 'Southern Sensation', I am of India. I want to be known, at least, by India, someday. And I felt everything was limiting. I want to be known as Vijay Deverakonda," he recalled. The actor revealed that he has now asked his team to remove 'The' from his name. He said, "I thought, if you do need a tag - 'The' is enough. But, people went, 'How can you put 'The?'. But, the whole point of 'The' is that I don't want a tag and if 'The' is a problem, then I don't want it. If you don't want, I don't either. I told my team to chop it off and Vijay Deverakonda is enough." Vijay Deverakonda will next be seen in Kingdom. Directed by Gowtam Tinnanuri, the film will hit theatres on July 31.
India Today
6 days ago
- Entertainment
- India Today
Vijay Deverakonda removes 'The' tag after massive trolling: My name is enough
Vijay Deverakonda, in a recent interview, opened up about adding 'The' as a tag to his name and the decision to now chop it off after facing severe backlash. The actor was at the receiving end of trolling when he added 'The' tag to his name during the release of 'Liger' in 2022. The film bombed at the box office and, adding to worries, Deverakonda was massively trolled for adding the tag to his to The Hollywood Reporter India, he explained how he is the only person to have faced resistance for his tag in the industry. "There was a crazy amount of backlash because 'The' was added to my name. Interestingly, no other name and no other person would have faced that sort of backlash. You can have any tag - from universal star to people star - anything. And people who are older, younger and those who debuted before me, everyone has a tagline. I was probably the one guy without a tagline. Nobody gets backlash."He recalled that in 2022, people in his team asked him to add a tag to his name. "I was asked by my team around the time of 'Liger'. I resisted this for a while, but people started coining their own terms. I do not want a tag and want to be known by name." He then cited media articles where he was called by different names and how everything was limiting him. "When they write articles, the press, sometimes, likes to call me 'Southern Sensation', 'Rowdy boy', 'Rowdy Star' and different variants. I don't know how they pick these things. I am not 'Southern Sensation', I am of India. I want to be known, at least, by India, someday. And I felt everything was limiting. I want to be known as Vijay Deverakonda," he how he and his team narrowed it down to 'The', he said, "I thought, if you do need a tag - The is enough. But, people went, 'how can you put The?."He then talked about how he has decided not to add any tags to his name and wanted to be known as Vijay Deverakonda. "But, the whole point of 'The' is that I don't want a tag and if 'The' is a problem, then I don't want it. If you don't want, I don't either. I told my team to chop it off and Vijay Deverakonda is enough - it is what I want to be known by. I want that name to be remembered - nothing more, nothing less," he Deverakonda also added that he gave instructions to his team to chop off the tag from his name. "From my side, I've asked to edit out 'The'. But, not much is in my control. Actually, I don't even want my name on these things. My face is on the poster. I've asked my teams not to even add my name. I feel like I want people to know Suri (his character in 'Kingdom') and get into his life. I don't want people to know Vijay Deverakonda, if I could have it that way."Vijay Deverakonda will be seen next in 'Kingdom', which will hit theatres on July 31. The film is directed by Gowtam Tinnanuri of 'Jersey' fame.- EndsMust Watch
Time of India
6 days ago
- Entertainment
- Time of India
Vijay Deverakonda reacts to 'The' tag controversy: "Nobody else got any backlash"
Vijay Deverakonda 's decision to briefly add 'The' before his name during Liger promotions sparked unexpected backlash. Now, in a candid new interview with The Hollywood Reporter India, the actor has addressed the controversy head-on—explaining the thought process behind it, how it was meant to be subtle, and why he ultimately dropped it altogether. 'Nobody Else Gets Backlash' Vijay recalled how the branding became a bigger issue than he ever expected. 'That was one whole situation in itself,' he said. 'There was a crazy amount of backlash because 'The' was added to my name. Interestingly, no other person ever got backlash for something like that.' He pointed out that titles are common across the industry—be it Mega Star, Universal Star, or People's Star. 'People younger than me, older than me, those who debuted before me—everyone has a tagline. I was probably the only one without one. And yet, I'm the one who got called out,' he said, calling the criticism both ironic and unfair. From Reluctance to Realisation The actor explained that it was his marketing team that initially suggested the idea and claimed that he resisted for a long time because "I didn't want a tag. I just wanted to be known by my name,' he said. However, during Liger promotions, media outlets frequently labelled him with varying nicknames like Rowdy Star and Southern Sensation. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like 5 Books Warren Buffett Wants You to Read In 2025 Blinkist: Warren Buffett's Reading List Undo That last one, in particular, struck a nerve. Calling it 'limiting,' Vijay said, 'I didn't like being boxed into a region or label.' So, in search of a neutral yet distinctive tag, they landed on 'The Vijay Deverakonda'—something he hoped would feel minimal and unique. But when even that drew unnecessary flak, Vijay decided to strip it all back. 'I told my team—just call me Vijay Deverakonda. That's how I want to be known. Nothing more, nothing less.' A Spy Thriller Comeback Vijay is now turning his focus to 'Kingdom', his upcoming spy thriller directed by Gowtam Tinnanuri (Jersey). Slated for release on July 31, the expectations are high for the film. Vijay Deverakonda's previous impressive outing was in 'Kalki 2898 AD' where he played a cameo. Vijay Devarakonda speaks during the promotion of Liger
News18
6 days ago
- Entertainment
- News18
Vijay Deverakonda Breaks Silence Over 'The' Tag Criticism: 'Nobody Else Gets Backlash'
Last Updated: Vijay shared that his team encouraged the addition of a tag during the promotions of Liger, especially as other stars had their own titles. Vijay Deverakonda has always stood out in the film industry for doing things his way whether it's choosing unconventional roles or being unapologetically himself. But one move that unexpectedly invited major backlash was his brief decision to add 'The' before his name. In a new interview with The Hollywood Reporter India, the Liger actor opened up about the controversy, the thought behind the tag, and why he ultimately dropped it. 'That was one whole situation in itself," Vijay said, referring to the public reaction over 'The Vijay Deverakonda' branding. He explained, 'There was a crazy amount of backlash because 'The' was added to my name. Interestingly, no other person ever got backlash for something like that. You can have any name—from Universal Star to People's Star—and people younger than me, older than me, those who debuted before me, everyone has a tagline. I was probably the only one without one. Nobody else gets backlash." The actor shared that his team encouraged the addition of a tag during the promotions of Liger, especially as other stars had their own titles. 'I resisted for a long time because I didn't want the tag. I just wanted to be known by my name. But in articles, the press would call me Southern Sensation, Rowdy Star and many other different variants," he said. He further explained his discomfort with being called 'Southern Sensation,' calling it 'limiting." As a compromise, he had suggested adding a simple 'The' to his name—something minimal, yet distinct. But even that drew criticism. Eventually, Vijay decided to do away with all titles. 'I told my team to just refer to me as Vijay Deverakonda. That's how I want to be known—nothing more, nothing less." Meanwhile, Vijay is now looking forward to the release of his upcoming spy thriller Kingdom, directed by Gowtam Tinnanuri. The film is slated to release in theatres on July 31. The recently released promo has already created buzz online, with fans calling it a much-needed comeback for the actor. First Published: July 08, 2025, 01:18 IST
