Actor Vijay Deverakonda responds to criticism over ‘tribal’ comment at Retro movie event
Hyderabad: Actor Vijay Deverakonda has issued a public clarification following backlash over a statement he made during the audio launch event of the film Retro, produced by Maatv Films. The event took place on April 26 and was attended by a large audience, including media representatives. Actor Surya from the Tamil film industry also shared the stage.
The controversy stems from a remark in Vijay Deverakonda’s speech, where he said, “These are the kind of senseless actions that people without even the minimum common sense do, just like how the tribals fought 500 years ago.” The statement has drawn criticism from several quarters, particularly from the Tribal Lawyers Association.
Kishanraj Chauhan, President of the Tribal Lawyers Association and a resident of S.R. Nagar, Hyderabad, stated that he came across the video of the speech on YouTube at around 8:00 a.m. on April 26. The video was posted on Maatv Films’ official YouTube channel, which had over 165,000 subscribers and more than 34,000 views at the time. The same content was also shared on the production company’s Facebook and Instagram pages.
To my dear brothers ❤️ pic.twitter.com/QBGQGOjJBL
— Vijay Deverakonda (@TheDeverakonda) May 3, 2025
Kishanraj Chauhan called the remark disrespectful and humiliating to the Scheduled Tribes community. The association has filed a formal complaint and requested legal action under the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act.
In response, Vijay Deverakonda took to social media platform X (formerly Twitter) to clarify his intentions. “It has come to my attention that a remark I made during the Retro audio launch event has caused concern among some members of the public. I wish to sincerely clarify, there was absolutely no intention to hurt or target any community, especially our Scheduled Tribes, who I deeply respect and consider an integral part of our country,” he wrote.
He added that his message was meant to promote unity. “I was speaking about how India is one, how our people are one, and how we must move forward together. In what world would I, while urging unity, deliberately discriminate against any group of Indians, all of whom I see as my family?”
Vijay Deverakonda explained that his use of the word “tribe” was in a historical and dictionary sense, referring to ancient social divisions and not to the Scheduled Tribes classification. “According to the English dictionary, ‘tribe’ means: ‘A social division in a traditional society consisting of families or communities linked by social, economic, religious, or blood ties, with a common culture and dialect,’” he wrote.
“If any part of my message was misunderstood or hurtful, I express my sincere regret,” he concluded. “My only aim was to speak of peace, progress, and togetherness. I remain committed to using my platform to uplift and unify never to divide.”
