- By Aarushi Raina
- Wed, 06 Aug 2025 04:19 PM (IST)
- Source:JND
Vijay Deverakonda’s Kingdom has been embroiled in controversy. Directed by Gowtam Tinnanuri, the action drama premiered globally on July 31. The film has been facing widespread protest in Tamil Nadu, with Tamil nationalist group Naam Tamilar Katchi and several groups allegedly accusing the film of hurting the sentiments of people with the portrayal of Sri Lankan Tamils in a negative light. Amid the protest, the makers issued a statement aplogising for the incident and stated that they respect the sentiments of the Tamil Nadu people.
Vijay Deverakonda’s Kingdom Protest
Kingdom ran into trouble for its portrayal of Sri Lankan Tamils. The Naam Thamizhar Katchi (NTK), a pro-Tamil party, held protests outside theatres screening Kingdom in Madurai, Trichy, after they found the portrayal of Sri Lankan Tamils not justified. They showed their disappointment after watching the film’s decision to name its antagonist ‘Murugan’, a name associated with one of Tamil Nadu’s deities, Lord Murugan. After this, the association demanded a ban on the film’s screening. The videos and photos of the party tearing down the film's poster and removing banners are going viral on social media.
Kingdom Makers Issue Statement Amid Protest
The official statement read, "We confirm that we respect the sentiments of the Tamil people, and we promise that, there are no such scenes which are involved in the movie that resembling to hurt the sentiments of the ocal state people, and this story is been completely a fictional story and an imaginary one and it is been mentioned in the disclaimer portion of the movie." Through the statement Sithara Entertainment also apologised and said, "In such case, if the sentiments of the people are hurt, we regret for the incident. We kindly request you to support the movie."
Saravanan, State Propaganda Secretary of NTK, said as quoted by India Today, “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.”
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About Kingdom Movie: The action drama revolves around a tale of an undercover police constable, Suri (played by Vijay). His moral duties become entangled with his personal mission of finding his long-lost brother. The movie is set against the backdrop of 1990s Sri Lanka and also stars Satyadev and Bhagyashri Borse.