Jabalpur (Madhya Pradesh): Akshay Kumar starrer 'Sky Force' has sparked a controversy after it was released on January 24. Squadron Leader Ajjamada Boppayya Devayya, played by young actor Veer Pahariya, has raised several questions, with social media influencers alleging 'distortion' of facts.
Devayya, who originally belonged to Karnataka's Kodava community, has been shown as a Tamil in the movie. Tanya Appachu Kaul, a Jabalpur-based lawyer and a social media influencer, and a proud Kodava, has accused makers of disrespecting Devayya's family and the entire community.
'Dear Makers...'
Tanya's reel is widely being circulated on social media. She slammed the filmmakers for marketing and glorifying the movie as a story of a real person, yet distorting the entire lineage of a person.
"Dear makers of Sky Force, if you wanted to make the movie about a real person, then you should have kept it real. 'Sky Force' is based on the attack on Pakistan's Sargodha air base during the Indo-Pakistan war in 1965. It is based on the true story of Ajjamada Boppayya Devayya, who was posthumously awarded the Maha Vir Chakra for his bravery and courage. Our community has contributed immensely to the armed forces. Now, Ajjamada Boppayya Devayya belongs to the martial Kodava community that resides in the Kogadu district of Karnataka. In this movie, Devayya and his wife are portrayed as Tamilians.
"When you are making a movie about a real person, show respect to their roots, their culture. Just because we are a minority community, that does not mean you can change the entire lineage of a person. I don't know whether makers were unaware of his lineage or they simply did not care and typecast him as Bollywood's version of a South Indian. If you are marketing a movie as the story of a real person, then you should have kept it real."
