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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.
Pink Villa
6 days ago
- Entertainment
- Pink Villa
Why did Vijay Deverakonda face backlash for using a tagline to his name?
Vijay Deverakonda recently generated quite a bit of hype with the exciting release date promo for his next film, Kingdom. The actor has worked on his physique and is putting on a rugged look for this project. He now addressed the criticism that came his way after he used a tagline with his name, which had already been done by many stars in the past. Vijay Deverakonda on using 'the' as tagline to his name Speaking with The Hollywood Reporter recently, Vijay Deverakonda opened up about the amount of criticism that came his way after he finalised using a tagline of 'The' to his name. The Kingdom actor mentioned how many other artists before and after him have used special taglines, and nothing was ever said about them. But when it was his turn, there was a lot of scrutiny. In his words, '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.' Vijay Deverakonda's Kingdom gets a new release date Sithara Entertainments recently unveiled a power-packed promo of Kingdom, featuring a fearless avatar of Vijay Deverakonda in the lead. The makers also revealed the new release date of the film, which will now hit theaters on July 31, 2025. Sharing the glimpse, they penned, 'One man. A heart full of fury. A world that pushed too far. Now it's CARNAGE time.' Kingdom's previous postponements Well, the release date of Kingdom has undergone several postponements in the past. First, the film was scheduled to release on March 28, but later, owing to post-production delays, it got pushed to May 31. The film will be released in multiple languages, including Telugu, Tamil, and Hindi. It is touted to be a spy-action thriller directed by Gowtam Tinnanuri. Besides Vijay in the lead, the film also stars Bhagyashri Borse as the leading lady, as well as Satyadev as co-lead. Anirudh Ravichander has composed the musical score.
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
