Vijay Deverakonda Breaks Silence Over 'The' Tag Criticism: 'Nobody Else Gets Backlash'
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
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