Actor Vijay Deverakonda has found himself in controversy following his comments about the tribal community during the pre-release event of the movie Retro on April 26 in Hyderabad. Tribal Lawyers Association Bapunagar President Kishanraj Chauhan accused Deverakonda of speaking disrespectfully towards the tribals at the event.
A written complaint was lodged at Sanjeeva Reddy Nagar Police Station in Hyderabad, demanding registration of a case under the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act.
The tribal associations have demanded an immediate apology from the actor. Chauhan said, "This is not just a matter of free speech—it’s about respect and constitutional protection of marginalized communities. We demand immediate legal action against the actor under SC/ST atrocity laws."
They stated that Vijay made the comment in the presence of mainstream electronic and print media, and that it was widely streamed online. Chauhan also submitted screenshots and links to the video titled 'Vijay Deverakonda Commanding Speech About Pakistan Terrorist at Retro Event / Surya / Sahithi TV', which was uploaded to the Maa TV Films YouTube channel and is part of the complaint that has been going viral
What Vijay Deverakonda said
At the event, Vijay talked about Pahalgam incident in Kashmir, stating, "The solution to what is happening in Kashmir is also to educate them (terrorists) and ensure they don’t get brainwashed. What will they achieve? Kashmir belongs to India, and Kashmiris are ours."
"India doesn’t even need to attack Pakistan because Pakistanis themselves are fed up with their government and will attack them if this continues. They behave like tribals did 500 years ago, fighting without common sense," added the actor.
Vijay Deverakonda is yet to react.
On the work front, Vijay will be seen next in Kingdom, which is slated to release on May 30, 2025.
