Bullettu Bandi – Glimpse | Raghava Lawrence | Elviin | Innasi Pandiyan | Kathiresan | Sam CS

While many actors in the film industry proudly adopt star tags as prefixes—like “Power Star”, “Mega Star”, or “Universal Star”—actor Vijay Deverakonda once took a different route by choosing the unique title “The” before his name. However, this bold move didn’t sit well with a section of the audience, and it drew significant backlash over time.

In the latest promotional materials for his upcoming film “Kingdom”, the actor’s name appears without the “The” prefix, signaling a conscious decision to drop the tag. In a recent interview, Vijay opened up about the decision and shared the reasoning behind it.

He revealed that the criticism he received for using the tag was far more intense than expected. “Interestingly, no one else has faced backlash for using a tagline. You can have names like ‘Universal Star’, ‘People’s Star’—people younger than me, older than me, those who debuted before me—everyone uses one. I was probably the only one without one, and when I did use one, I got flak for it,” he said.

Vijay added that during the promotions of Liger, his team had suggested he adopt a tag to help create a stronger brand image. Initially, he was hesitant, as he preferred to be recognized simply by his name. But after media outlets began referring to him with various nicknames such as “Southern Sensation”, “Rowdy Star”, and “Rowdy Boy”, he eventually gave in and agreed to use “The” before his name.

However, the unexpected criticism that followed made him reconsider. “Neither I nor my team anticipated this level of negativity. So I decided to go back to just being Vijay Deverakonda—no prefix, no tag, just my name,” he concluded.

“Kingdom”, directed by Gautam Tinnanuri, is set for a worldwide theatrical release on July 31. The film features Bhagyashri Bhorse as the female lead, with music composed by Anirudh Ravichander. The action drama is expected to showcase Vijay in a new avatar, with fans eagerly awaiting its release.