Do we like them?

Do we like Vijay Deverakonda?

Our score: 6 out of 10. A decent public record with a few real stumbles and thin evidence on the good side, so the middle of the scale.

Vijay Deverakonda is one of Telugu cinema's biggest stars, and the role that made his name was the title part in Arjun Reddy. That film has followed him around ever since, because plenty of critics read it as misogynistic, and he gets asked about it constantly.

The most serious stoush is from April 2025. At the pre-release event for the film Retro, he reportedly compared the Pahalgam terror attack to tribal clashes from centuries ago. A tribal rights group complained, police registered a case under the SC/ST Atrocities Act, and he went to the Telangana High Court to have it thrown out, where the judge reserved his decision. His lawyers argued the complaint was politically motivated and came two months late.

He apologised fast. In a post on X he said there was “absolutely no intention to hurt or target any community” and promised to use his platform to uplift people. That's a proper response, but the other side argues a social media apology doesn't cancel what was said to a live crowd, and that's the heart of the court fight.

On the wider harm check, there was nothing on LGBTQ+ or trans people, climate or vaccines that I could find, so that's a gap, not a clean bill. In a 2020 Film Companion interview he said not everyone should vote and that a good dictator could push through change, which drew heavy criticism. Critics also say his women-related comments and Arjun Reddy reflect sexism, and in 2023 he replied that those who know him know who he is.

Reports of real charity work turned up in my searches, including a COVID-era relief fund and an auctioned Filmfare trophy. I couldn't open those pages, so I haven't counted them here, and that's why the good-stuff box is empty. If they hold up, they'd nudge him up a notch.