Whenever the films of actor Vijay were released, controversies did not swirl like a hurricane. The problem starts at the shooting sites of his film, then various controversies swirl around the title, film release, audio release, subtitles and politics. Here we can see about the obstacles and problems faced by Vijay’s films.
New Gita – 2003
The film ‘Puthiya Geethai’, directed by Jagan and starring Vijay, was released in the year 2003. The film was originally titled Geetha. However, controversy arose as Hindu organizations protested that the film starring Christian actor Vijay should not be named ‘Geetha’. After that the name of the film was changed to ‘Puthiya Geetha’ and the film was released.
Watchman – 2011
‘Kavalan’ is an official adaptation of Malayalam film ‘Bodyguard’ and released on the occasion of Pongal in 2011. Before the film’s release, a distributor filed a lawsuit against the film’s release. Also, Coimbatore theater owners raised the war flag saying that they will not release the film.
Because before that, after Vijay’s 50th film ‘Sura’ was a terrible failure, Tamil Nadu theater owners and distributors said they will not release ‘Kavalan’, seeking compensation for the failure. At the same time, the fans staged a protest demanding the release of the film. Finally, after Vijay paid compensation, the movie ‘Kavalan’ was released.
Gun – 2012
A.R. 2012 movie ‘Thuppakki’ directed by Murugadoss was released on the occasion of Diwali. The crew of ‘Gallathuppakki’ filed a lawsuit to change the title of this film. Later after a long struggle they withdrew the case and the ban on the film was lifted. After that, various organizations continued to protest against the film, claiming that Muslims were wrongly portrayed. Later the protest was called off after it was announced that certain scenes would be deleted and some scenes would be muted. After that the film was released in theatres.
Thaliva – 2013
A.L. Directed by Vijay and starring Vijay, the movie ‘Thalaiva’ was released in the year 2103. At a time when the Vijay People’s Movement started working politically, the announcement of the release of ‘Thalaiva’ with the tag line ‘Time to Lead’ added to the excitement. While this created a stir among political parties, the Tamil Nadu government headed by former Chief Minister Jayalalithaa imposed a ban on security concerns, saying that the government had received a mysterious letter saying that bombs would be planted in theatres.
While the film crew had sought permission to meet Jayalalithaa, they were never given the opportunity. Thus, while the film was released in other states as specified, the film was released only 11 days after the date it was supposed to be released in Tamil Nadu only. The film was released with the words ‘Time to Lead’ removed. Also, it is noteworthy that due to the stress caused by the release of the film, the producer of this film had chest pains and was admitted to the hospital.
Knife – 2014
Again AR. Kaththi is a 2014 film directed by Murugadoss and starring Vijay. Protests broke out after some Tamil Nadu organizations protested against the release of the film ‘Kaththi’ claiming that the film was produced by Lyca, a company close to the then Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa. Then somehow the problem was solved and the film was released. And stealing Gopi Nainar’s story, A.R. Murugadoss created a controversy.
Tiger – 2015
The 2015 film ‘Puli’ was directed by Simbudhevan and starred Vijay and Sridevi. At the time of the film’s release, the income tax department conducted raids on the first day at the house of the film’s producers, including Vijay. After that, all the morning shows of the film were canceled and the day show was screened.
Theri – 2016
Theri is a 2016 film directed by Atlee and starring Vijay and Samantha. Due to the high price charged by the producer and forced to buy the film with a minimum guarantee, there was a problem between the distributors and the producers. Due to this, the film was released only in major theaters in Chennai. The film was not released in many theaters in Chengalpattu area. Although this disappointed the fans, the film team released the film on the specified date saying that it does not matter if the film is not released in many important places.
Mersal – 2017
The 2017 film ‘Mersal’, again directed by Atlee, starred Vijay, Samantha, Nithya Menon and Kajal Aggarwal. Many members of the party, including BJP’s Tamilisai Soundrarajan, strongly objected to the lines spoken by Vijay in the film, such as GST and Digital India. Also BJP’s H. Raja posted ‘Joseph Vijay’ on his Twitter page.
The doctors union protested against the misrepresentation of government hospital doctors. Magician Ramanan Sharma, who worked in the film, stirred up controversy over salary arrears. After a huge cut-out of Vijay was put up in a theater in Malleswaram, Karnataka, some Kannada activists pelted stones at the theater and later protested against the screening of ‘Mersal’ in Karnataka. Also, the censor certificate was not given till 24 hours before the release of the film.
Sarkar – 2018
Again AR. ‘Sarkar’ is a 2018 film directed by Murugadoss and starring Vijay. Varun Rajendran filed a lawsuit claiming that the story of this film is an adaptation of his story. After this, AR Murugadoss promised to give credits to Varun Rajendran’s name in the film and the problem was put to rest.
There was also protest over the freebies given by the government and the use of the name of the late former Chief Minister Jayalalithaa. This film also has the honor of the AIADMK itself taking to the field and holding demonstrations. Also, at the release of this film, Vijay talked about many political issues which were released on social media and created a stir.
Bigil – 2019
The 2019 film ‘Bigil’, again directed by Atlee, starring Vijay. In the poster of the film, Vijay has his foot on a meat chopping board. The traders’ association protested against the scene. Also, when Vijay spoke at the audio launch of the film, the BJP and AIADMK had condemned him for indirectly saying, “Wherever you want to make someone sit, if you make him sit there correctly, this gold medal will come automatically”.
Master – 2021
‘Master’ is a movie produced by Seven Screen Studios, starring Vijay and Vijay Sethupathi and directed by Lokesh Kanagaraj. While the shooting of this film was going on in Neyveli, a few days before the completion of the shooting, not only did the income tax audit take place at Vijay’s house, but the income tax department came to the shooting site and interrogated Vijay and took him to Chennai in their car.
After this, Vijay got back on the shooting set and created a sensation by taking selfies with the fans. And those photos also went viral. And while no films were released due to Corona, the film ‘Master’ was released ahead of Pongal. But when only 50 percent of the seats were allowed, Vijay met then Chief Minister Edappadi Palaniswami in person and asked for permission for 100 percent of the seats. While permission was given accordingly, permission was given to the film ‘Master’ within a few days for only 50 percent seats due to the instructions of the central government and the opposition of social activists.
Also during the shooting in a school near Poontamalli, some members of the film crew smoked without permission, songs were released at the audio launch event without the prior permission of the music publishing company, and the Neyveli Coal Mines Administration had protested against the permission for the shoot, K. The film was surrounded by various controversies as Rangadas complained that his story was stolen.
Beast – 2022
‘Beast’, directed by Nelson Dilip Kumar, was originally slated to release on April 14 ahead of the Tamil New Year. But Kannada actor Yash’s ‘KGF’, which was made as Pan India at that time. 2′ was already announced to release in other states including Tamil Nadu on the same date, while Vijay’s ‘Beast’ released a day earlier on April 13.
While Vijay’s ‘Beast’ was released by Udhayanidhi Stalin’s Red Giant Movies, the film did not receive the expected reception. After this, in certain areas, Yash’s ‘K.G.F. 2’ was released by Red Giant Movies, where ‘Beast’ had less theatrical releases and more theatrical releases were given to ‘K.G.F. Allegations were also made that it was assigned to the film 2’.
Also, it was announced that the release of the film was banned in Qatar and Kuwait, saying that people from Pakistan were shown as terrorists and there were many incidents of violence in the film. Also, a minority party called Tamil Nadu Muslim League had demanded to ban the film ‘Beast’ in Tamil Nadu.
#Beast is banned by the Ministry of Information in #Kuwait
Reason could be Portrayal of Pak, Terrorists or Violence
Recently Indian Movies #dry and #FIR were banned in #Kuwait
Of late, #Kuwait Censor is becoming very strict in GCC compared to other countries in the region
— Ramesh Bala (@rameshlaus) April 5, 2022
Successor – 2023
‘Varisu’ is a movie starring Vijay and directed by famous Telugu director Vamsi Baitipalli and produced by Dil Raju. The film team has announced that the film, which has been made as a bilingual film, will release on Pongal festival. The film, which will be released under the name ‘Varasudu’ in Andhra Pradesh and Telangana, has faced protests.
While Rajinikanth’s film ‘Petta’ was released in Tamil and Telugu for Pongal last year 2019, when Telugu producer Dil Raju and others said that only Telugu direct films should be given priority in Andhra Pradesh, the Telugu Film Producers’ Association has now indicated the same to Vijay’s film. Andhra Pradesh and Telangana theaters have been advised to avoid prioritization. Due to this, the problem of releasing this film there as specified continues.
At the same time, there is an expectation that more theaters will be available in Tamil Nadu as well. Because along with Vijay’s ‘Varisu’, Ajith’s ‘Thunivu’ is also releasing. Udhayanidhi Stalin’s Red Giant Movies has bought the theater rights of Thadhavu in Tamil Nadu, so more theaters have been allotted to the film. When Vijay has to face these two big problems, Vijay suddenly met his fans in Panayur yesterday. It is expected that an amicable solution will be reached soon.