The forthcoming movie Liger starring Vijay Deverakonda is being talked about a lot on social media, with new calls for a boycott coming from netizens. The internet community is calling for the Telugu movie “Liger” to be boycotted for a number of reasons, but mostly because Karan Johar is involved with it.
The upcoming sports drama, produced by Karan Johar’s Dharma Productions, is directed by Puri Jagannadh and also has Ananya Panday in the lead role. It is scheduled to hit theatres on August 25. Asking to boycott the movie, a Twitter user wrote, “Don’t forget this film is also produced by Karan johar who hates Hindi culture and listen carefully Vijay’s words he didn’t care about anything so we must be unite this time also for boycott his upcoming movie.”
Dont forget this film is also produced by karan johar who hates hindi culture and listen carefully vijay’s words he didnt care about anything so we must be unite this time also for boycott his upcoming movie. #boycottLigermovie https://t.co/higPt0905S
— Devesh Purohit (@DeveshPurohit18) August 19, 2022
Actor Vijay Deverakonda has been relentlessly promoting his upcoming movie Liger in various cities. However, since early Saturday morning, the hashtag ‘Boycott Liger’ has been trending on social media. The trend started after Vijay supported actor Aamir Khan and his latest box office failure, Laal Singh Chaddha.
In an interview with India Today, Vijay stated, “When you decide to boycott a film, you are not only affecting Aamir Khan, you are affecting thousands of families who lose work and livelihoods. Aamir Sir is someone who pulls the crowd to the theatres. I am not sure why this boycott call is happening, but for whatever misunderstanding, this is happening, please realise you are not affecting Aamir Khan alone but the economy.”
Referring to these remarks by Vijay Deverakonda, a Twitter user wrote, “Vijay Deverkonda blackmails Indians for families of film making crew. Indians have taken contract to look after these families. Vijay Jee, you must convince Bollywood why they make jokes of Hindu Deities while 80% population is Hindu in India.”
Vijay Deverkonda blackmails Indians for families of film making crew. Indians have taken contract to look after these families.
— Rahul Kumar Mishra (@Diplomaticguru) August 19, 2022
Vijay Jee, you must convince Bollywood why they make jokes of Hindu Deities while 80% population is Hindu in India.#BoycottLigerMovie #BoycottLiger pic.twitter.com/hzPFxBqXeQ
It is worth noting that two recent releases starring Bollywood celebrities Aamir Khan and Akshay Kumar tanked at the box office. Aamir Khan’s Laal Singh Chaddha and Akshay Kumar’s Rakshabandhan both failed at the box office even with an extended weekend, amidst widespread boycott calls.
Aamir Khan’s anti-India sentiments in the past, his harsh and disparaging representation of Hindu Gods in his film PK, and his blatantly political pronouncements in the past have all contributed to Laal Singh Chaddha’s dismal performance. As far as Raksha Bandhan is concerned, the boycott calls emanated from the Hinduphobic comments made by its writer, Kanika Dhillon. Under the guise of targeting the BJP and PM Modi, she had repeatedly attacked Hindu beliefs and religious sentiments.
Another Bollywood movie Dobaara, featuring Taapsee Pannu as the lead character, has also failed to garner popular views. The film, directed by controversial filmmaker Anurag Kashyap, has largely failed to pique the interest of the audience. It was released in theatres on Friday, August 19, but had only a 2-3% occupancy rate on Day 1. A number of early screenings of the film were also reported to have been cancelled.
