A police complaint has been filed against Telugu actor Vijay Deverakonda for allegedly making offensive comments about tribal people. The complaint was registered at the SR Nagar police station in Hyderabad on Thursday.
According to a report by Telangana Today, Lal Chauhan, a city-based lawyer, lodged the complaint after Deverakonda's speech at the pre-release event of the Tamil film Retro, starring actor Suriya. During his speech, Deverakonda spoke about the recent Pahalgam terror attack in Kashmir and reportedly compared the attackers to tribal communities from 500 years ago, saying they were “fighting without common sense.”
Chauhan said the remarks were disrespectful and hurtful to tribal groups. “This is not just about free speech it’s about respecting the dignity and constitutional rights of marginalised communities,” he said, calling for legal action under the SC/ST Atrocities Act.
Several tribal associations have also condemned the actor’s words and demanded a public apology.
The SR Nagar police stated that legal action will be taken based on the advice of legal experts. As of now, Vijay Deverakonda has not made any public statement about the issue.
On the work front, Deverakonda will next appear in Kingdom, which is set to release on 30 May 2025.