Vijay Deverakonda reacts to 'The' tag controversy: "Nobody else got any backlash"

Vijay Deverakonda’s decision to briefly add ‘The’ before his name during Liger promotions sparked unexpected backlash. Now, in a candid new interview with The Hollywood Reporter India, the actor has addressed the controversy head-on—explaining the thought process behind it, how it was meant to be subtle, and why he ultimately dropped it altogether.“Nobody Else Gets Backlash”Vijay recalled how the branding became a bigger issue than he ever expected. “That was one whole situation in itself,” he said. “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.”He pointed out that titles are common across the industry—be it Mega Star, Universal Star, or People’s Star. “People younger than me, older than me, those who debuted before me—everyone has a tagline. I was probably the only one without one. And yet, I’m the one who got called out,” he said, calling the criticism both ironic and unfair.From Reluctance to RealisationThe actor explained that it was his marketing team that initially suggested the idea and claimed that he resisted for a long time because "I didn’t want a tag. I just wanted to be known by my name,” he said. However, during Liger promotions, media outlets frequently labelled him with varying nicknames like Rowdy Star and Southern Sensation. That last one, in particular, struck a nerve.Calling it “limiting,” Vijay said, “I didn’t like being boxed into a region or label.” So, in search of a neutral yet distinctive tag, they landed on “The Vijay Deverakonda”—something he hoped would feel minimal and unique. But when even that drew unnecessary flak, Vijay decided to strip it all back. “I told my team—just call me Vijay Deverakonda. That’s how I want to be known. Nothing more, nothing less.”A Spy Thriller ComebackVijay is now turning his focus to 'Kingdom', his upcoming spy thriller directed by Gowtam Tinnanuri (Jersey). Slated for release on July 31, the expectations are high for the film.Vijay Deverakonda's previous impressive outing was in 'Kalki 2898 AD' where he played a cameo.