Vijay in the trailer. (Courtesy: YouTube)
Telugu superstar Vijay Deverakonda is making headlines as he addressed the issue of misogyny at the trailer launch event of his new film Kushi. Vijay will share screen space with Samantha Ruth Prabhu in the film. In the trailer, Vijay is seen telling a woman, "Meri market me reputation kharab hai varna main feminist hoon (My reputation is bad in the market but I am a feminist)." Taking a cue from that dialogue, Vijay Deverakonda was asked by DNA at the press conference whether it's a reply to those who hurled misogynist tag at him for his portrayal of controversial Arjun Reddy in the film titled Arjun Reddy. Vijay Deverakonda said to DNA, "Now what to do, they had called me a misogynist so many times. Everybody had called me this so many times. But those who know me know who I am. So I don't need to say anything beyond that."
Vijay Deverakonda addressed the issue of misogyny on the show of Koffee With Karan last year. In the film Arjun Reddy, the protagonist of the same name has been perceived as a symbol of toxic masculinity by a large section of audience. Vijay Deverakonda, playing the titular role, received flak from audience. In the movie, Arjun slaps his love interest and the scene received harsh criticism.
When Karan Johar asked the actor whether the criticism was justified, Vijay said, "I'm no one to say it is right or wrong but they two did it, lived a happy life, and had a kid. But I'm not saying nobody should have a problem with it. Imagine you've been in a relationship that was abusive and then you see this film. It's painful to watch this happening on screen. These are your nightmares as a woman, as a wife, or as a girlfriend and when you see it playing out on a screen, you'll hate it. And I understand that you disagree with it and I respect that you don't like it."
When asked if he could ever be Arjun in real life, Vijay Deverakonda said, "I would never raise my hand. If it reaches a point where I feel such anger towards a woman, I will walk out. I will never reach a point where it gets abusive in nature. You don't need that stress in life. If something is stressful, walk off."
Vijay Deverakonda will next be seen in Kushi. Sharing the trailer of the movie, Vijay wrote, "It's here. This Aug 9th. 2 mins 41 secs of #KushiTrailer"
Take a look at the trailer here:
Vijay Deverakonda is known for movies like Arjun Reddy, Ye Mantram Vesave, Mahanati, Nadigaiyar Thilagam, Geetha Govindam and Dear Comrade, to name a few.