Nelson Dilipkumar's much-awaited movie Beast, which stars Thalapathy Vijay in the lead role, is all set to hit screens on 13 April. However, the movie has run into controversy days before its release. Beast has reportedly been banned in Kuwait, and the Muslim League Party in Tamil Nadu has also called for a ban.
This is not the first time that a Vijay movie has run into trouble. Here are five films of the actor that had stirred up controversies:
Thuppakki (2012)
Thuppaki first look featuring Vijay
Photo courtesy : Twitter
What could go wrong with a poster? Everything, it seems. The first-look poster of AR Murugadoss’ 2012 movie Thuppakki had Vijay smoking a cigar. It was severely criticized by leaders belonging to various political parties. In addition, some Muslim associations called out the makers, claiming that the film showed the community in a bad light by portraying Muslims as terrorists.
Thalaivaa (2013)
Vijay in Thalaivaa.
Photo courtesy : Twitter
Filmmaker AL Vijay's Thalaivaa (2013) underwent an 11-day long delay with its Tamil Nadu theatrical release owing to political tension. The film had released worldwide on 8 August. The title of the film, with the tagline 'Time To Lead', was seen as politically provocative and faced the wrath of then Chief Minister J Jayalalitha. The tagline was eventually removed.
Thalaivaa poster with the tagline "Time to Lead"
Photo courtesy : Twitter
Kaththi (2014)
Vijay in Kaththi
Photo courtesy : Twitter
AR Murugadoss directorial Kaththi (2014) faced stiff opposition from pro-Tamil outfits, who protested against the film's release claiming that the producer was linked to former Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa, who is accused of war crime. Moreover, the film dealt with farmers who died by suicide since their agricultural lands were taken over by a multinational cola company. This, too, sparked controversy as Vijay has worked with Coca Cola as a brand ambassador in the past.
Kaththi press meet scene where Vijay in the film objects cola company
Photo courtesy : Twitter
Mersal (2017)
Vijay in Mersal
Photo courtesy : Twitter
Director Atlee’s Mersal (2017) irked the Tamil Nadu BJP, which called out the film for its dialogues about the Goods and Services Tax(GST) and the Digital India Program. H Raja from the party accused Vijay of hating Prime Minister Narendra Modi since he is a Christian. The controversy proved to be a huge promotion for the film, making it reach every nook and corner of the state, and eventually it became a blockbuster at the box office.
Sarkar (2018)
Vijay in Sarkar
Photo courtesy : Twitter
Vijay’s Sarkar, which released in 2018, had Varalakshmi Sarathkumar playing a negative character named Komalavalli, which is the original name of former Tamil Nadu Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa. Hence, it received a huge objection from the AIADMK (All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam) party.
The film also landed in serious trouble after AIADMK leaders took offence to a scene where freebies given by a political party were set on fire. Senior ministers pressurised director AR Murugadoss and the makers of Sarkar to remove the scene. After the scene was removed, Vijay fans actually destroyed things provided by the party, leading the latter to say that Vijay has a bad influence on his fans.
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