Vijay’s much-awaited film Beast was released on April 13 amid huge fanfare. Beast has wreaked havoc at the box office across the country and collected over Rs 38 crore in Tamil Nadu alone. The action flick has surpassed the Rs 100 crore mark worldwide in just two days. The film is doing well even in the Hindi circuit. The massive collections are proof of the fact that Vijay has become a pan-India star now.
But Vijay’s beast has also courted some controversy. The film has been banned in Kuwait due to its portrayal of Pakistan and some scenes depicting Islamists as terrorists. The ban could affect the film’s overseas business since Vijay has a huge following in Kuwait and other countries in the Middle East.
#Beast is banned by the Ministry of Information in #Kuwait Reason could be Portrayal of Pak, Terrorists or Violence
Recently Indian Movies #Kurup and #FIR were banned in #Kuwait
Of late, #Kuwait Censor is becoming very strict in GCC compared to other countries in the region
— Ramesh Bala (@rameshlaus) April 5, 2022
The movie is under the scanner even in India. An outfit in Tamil Nadu has even sought a ban on Vijay’s Beast for promoting Islamophobia. Many are wondering if the makers of Beast are pandering to the central government by showcasing a narrative favoured by it.
Interestingly, this whole controversy is contradictory to Vijay’s liberal image. Vijay is generally seen as someone not inclined towards the NDA government at the Centre. The income tax department even conducted searches at the properties of Vijay in 2020.
Thalapathy Vijay is playing the role of a RAW agent, Veeraraghavan, in the film. Directed by Nelson Dilipkumar, the film features exhilarating action scenes and several stunts. Beast’s plot is based on a mall hijacking and the action flick also has Pooja Hegde and Selvaraghavan in key roles.
Vijay’s beast faces strong competition from Yash’s movie, KGF: Chapter 2. Beast and Yash’s KGF: Chapter 2, clashing this week, will face competition from Shahid Kapoor’s Jersey, premiering next week.
It is worth mentioning that Vijay’s 2012 film, Thuppakki, also faced allegations of promoting Islamophobia.
