19 controversies that rocked South Indian film industries in 2022

Tinseltown would be a dull place without gossip, rumours, and controversies. And, South Indian film industries have always kept rumour mills running overtime with controversies. The year 2022 was no different. Here’s a quick look at some of the burning controversies that rocked the South Indian film industries over the past year.

Kannada films

Kichcha Sudeep-Ajay Devgn Twitter spat

Kannada superstar Kichcha Sudeep got into a verbal battle with Bollywood superstar Ajay Devgn just before the release of his film Vikrant Rona. During a film launch event, Kichcha Sudeep remarked that Hindi was no longer the national language of India. His statement irked the Bollywood star so much that Devgn took to Twitter, tagged Sudeep, and wrote in Hindi, asking him why he was dubbing his films in Hindi if it was not the national language. 

Sudeep calmly replied to Devgn that his statement was taken out of context. He also questioned Devgn whether he would have understood if his reply was in Kannada. Devgn realised the intensity of the situation and replied that something was lost in translation and that he expected everyone to respect every language. He also put out a folded hands emoji, indicating an apology.

Darshan’s threat to producer went viral

‘Challenging Star’ Darshan got embroiled in a controversy that even led to a police complaint early this year. A film producer cast Darshan’s relative Dhruvan for a film titled Sri Krishna Paramatma. However, the film did not take off owing to the producer’s financial troubles. Producer Bharat was confiding into Dhruvan about his problems over the phone when actor Darshan allegedly joined the call.

Darshan allegedly threatened the producer, stating that he would not spare him for wasting his relative’s time and eventually spoiling his career. The purported telephone conversation went viral, and the producer filed a complaint at Kengeri police station, alleging threat to his life.

Thaikkudam Bridge accuses ‘kantara’ makers of plagiarism

Kantara was one of the biggest blockbusters of 2022. A song from the film, Varaha Roopam, was one of its biggest highlights. However, a Kerala-based band named Thaikkudam Bridge accused Kantara’s music director Ajaneesh Loknath of plagiarism. The Kerala-based band claimed that Varaha Roopam was copied from its song titled Navarasam. The band filed two cases in court and got a stay against the makers from using the song Varaha Roopam.

The makers refused to acknowledge the court order and did not remove the song from the theatres. Later, they released the film on Amazon Prime with a new version of the song. However, a Kerala court disposed of the case by vacating the stay and asked the makers to lodged a complaint in a commercial court.

Talk of ‘ban’ against Rashmika Mandanna in Karnataka 

Multilingual actress Rashmika Mandanna started her career from the Kannada film industry. However, there was a strong buzz that Kannada filmmakers wanted her films to be banned in Karnataka. The controversy erupted after Rashmika claimed that she had not watched the film Kantara that became a nationwide hit. Things got worse when she stated in an interview that her career started when a so-called production house called her to audition for her first film Kirik Party.

There was a lot of buzz that Rashmika’s film with Tamil superstar Vijay and Telugu superstar Allu Arjun would be banned in Karnataka, as she disrespected people who gave her the first break. However, the controversy fell flat after there was no official statement from anybody related to the Kannada film industry.

Darshan trolled for insensitive remarks on ‘Goddess of Luck’

Darshan is known to be synonymous with controversies in the Kannada film industry. He often finds himself in the soup after making off-the-cuff remarks. During the promotions of his latest film Kranti, the actor made a statement on the Goddess of Luck. He claimed that he teaches youngsters to know that the Goddess of Luck doesn’t knock on their doors easily, but when she does, she must be taken to the room and undressed so that she doesn’t step out of the house.

Darshan was trying to say that one should not waste opportunities, but his “advice” didn’t go down well with people. His remark was slammed as insensitive, and the actor was trolled on social media.

Tamil Movies

Dhanush-Aishwarya divorce

The Tamil film industry and fans were in for a rude shock when actor Dhanush announced separation from his wife Aishwarya, daughter of superstar Rajinikanth. The two were married for 18 years, and the news of their divorce raised many eyebrows. The couple did not state the reason behind their decision to part ways, but requested privacy from family, friends, fans, and well-wishers.

Ten months later, it was speculated that the couple might be planning to call off their divorce and patch up. Dhanush’s father Kasturi Raja said that he and Rajinikanth were trying to get their children to reconcile and were hoping for the best for their children.

Vijay’s ‘Beast’ Banned in Kuwait, Qatar

Tamil superstar Vijay’s highly anticipated film Beast was banned in Kuwait when it released earlier this year. It is said that the Kuwait government decided to ban the film, as it portrays Pakistanis and Muslims as extremists. Soon, the film was also banned in Qatar for similar reasons. The Tamil Nadu Muslim League also demanded a ban for similar reasons, but was unable to succeed.

Nayanthara-Vignesh’s surrogate twins

Power couple Nayanthara and Vignesh Shivan tied the knot in June this year but raised eyebrows when their surrogate children was born in October. The Tamil Nadu government was forced to order an inquiry against them, as surrogacy was banned in India last December.

However, the couple sprung a surprise by submitting documents showing that they registered their marriage six years ago. They also claimed they initiated the procedures for surrogacy through one of Nayanthara’s close relatives in December 2021, much before the new law surrounding surrogacy was passed.

Director Atlee accused of plagiarism

Tamil film director Atlee, who is making his Bollywood debut with Shah Rukh Khan, was accused of plagiarism. A Tamil film producer named Manickam Narayan complained to Tamil Film Producers’ Council, claiming Atlee’s film titled Jawan was a remake of his 2006 production titled Perarasu, which had Vijayakanth in the lead. Narayan claimed to own the rights for the story.

An inquiry was launched to investigate the allegations. The Council reportedly asked Narayan to provide evidence to support his claim. Later the Council concluded the inquiry, stating that the events described in Jawaan and Perarasu were different and ended the case.

Vetrimaran’s statement on portrayal of Chola kings as Hindus in PS-1

National Award-winning filmmaker Vetrimaran sparked a controversy when he said that Raja Raja Cholan wasn’t a Hindu king. He made the statement with reference to the portrayal of Chola Kings in the film Ponniyin Selvan 1.

Vetrimaran claimed that the BJP was trying to steal the Tamil identity. Kamal Hassan backed Vetrimaran, stating that there was nothing called “Hindu” religion during those times and the word “Hindu” was coined by Britishers, as they could not refer to Vainavam, Saivanam, and Samanam.

Telugu Movies

Sai Pallavi slammed for comparing ‘Kashmir Files’ to cow vigilantism

Actor Sai Pallavi got embroiled in a controversy for comparing The Kashmir Files to cow vigilantism. The actor was promoting her film Virata Parvam and was asked about her views on right-wing and left-wing politics in India. Sai Pallavi claimed that she had seen the film The Kashmir Files and how the Kashmiri Pandits were killed in the 1990s. She went on to say that she also saw a video where a group of men killed a man because he was driving a vehicle carrying a cow and people suspected him to be a Muslim. She said the lynching was wrong and it cannot be compared to the exodus of the Kashmir Pandits and the killings that happened there.

However, her statement was taken out of context and a complaint was filed at a police station in Hyderabad. Later, Sai Pallavi took to Instagram to explain her comment.

RGV’s insensitive tweet about President Murmu

Controversial filmmaker Ram Gopal Varma got into trouble for an insensitive tweet in June. Soon after Draupadi Murmu was declared the NDA’s Presidential candidate, the filmmaker tweeted, “If DRAUPADI is the PRESIDENT, who are the PANDAVAS? And more importantly, who are the KAURAVAS?” BJP leaders Gudur Reddy and T Nandeshwar Gaur lodged a complaint against Varma at a police station in Hyderabad. Later, Varma claimed that his tweet had been taken out of context.

Naresh-Pavitra Lokesh relationship

Tollywood superstar the late Krishna’s son and Mahesh Babu’s brother Naresh created a stir when his relationship with Pavitra Lokesh became public. The actor’s third wife created a ruckus at a hotel in Mysuru and allegedly tried to attack Pavitra Lokesh who was staying with Naresh at that time.

Naresh’s wife gave a string of interviews to the media, accusing her husband of cheating on her and looting her money. Soon, it was rumoured that Naresh and Pavitra Lokesh would get married. But latest reports suggest that Naresh was spotted with another woman after his mother’s death.

Vijay Deverakonda grilled by ED

Tollywood superstar Vijay Deverakonda was grilled by the Enforcement Directorate for nearly 12 hours in a money-laundering case. The case cropped up after the release of his film Liger, which tanked at the box office. After attending the ED inquiry, Deverakonda told reporters that he was summoned by the ED to provide some clarifications and there were no allegations against him. A few weeks previously, the director and producer of the film Puri Jaganadh and Charmee Kaur were also grilled by the ED regarding the money-laundering case.

Telugu Producers’ surprise decision for Sankranthi release

The Telugu Film Producers’ Council raised eyebrows with the announcement that exhibitors in the state must prioritise only original Telugu language (not dubbed) films during Sankranthi and Dasara. The decision was taken since Sankranthi 2023 will see a huge clash between superstars.

Two big Telugu films — Balakrishna’s Veera Simha Reddy and megastar Chiranjeevi’s Waltair Veerayya — will be releasing during that time. In addition, Tamil superstar Vijay’s Varisu and Ajith’s Thunivu will be releasing at the same time. Vijay and Ajith have a huge fan following in Telugu-speaking states. Hence, the makers of Veera Simha Reddy and Waltair Veerayya felt that the dubbed versions of Vijay’s and Ajith’s films could affect their business.

Malayalam Movies

Sreenath Bhasi arrested for abusing a female anchor

Kochi police arrested actor Sreenath Bhasi for allegedly abusing a female anchor while promoting his film Chattambi. A video clip that went viral showed Bhasi getting annoyed at the anchor for asking some questions that he felt were silly. The actor was heard telling the crew to stop filming and allegedly abused the anchor and the crew after the camera was switched off. Police arrested the actor and even subjected him to drug and alcohol tests. Later, the actor apologised to the anchor and the crew for hurting them.

Shine Chacko deplaned after trying to enter cockpit

Actor Shine Chacko has been in the news for all the wrong reasons in recent times. He was at it once again in December. Reports say the actor was on board Air India’s Dreamliner flight from Dubai to Kochi when he tried to enter the cockpit. The cabin crew stopped him and requested him to return to his seat, but the actor refused, leading to an altercation. The cabin crew escorted him off the plane that left for Kochi. Dubai airport officials questioned his unruly behaviour, and the actor is said to have told them that he was trying to have some fun and did not intend to create a ruckus. He was allowed to fly back to Kochi with his family members after the investigation by airport officials.

Film title triggers controversy

The title of a new film has triggered a row in Kerala. Acclaimed writer NS Madhavan has alleged that the film title Higuita had deprived him of his right to the title of a film based on his short story of the same name. However, debutant director Hemanth Nair claims that his film starring Suraj Venjaramoodu and Dhyan Sreenivasan had nothing to do with the short story.

The controversy has left people divided, as some feel that the writer popularised the name Higuita in the minds of people in Kerala, whereas others point out that it’s not a fictional name and is the real name of the famous football player José René Higuita Zapata from Colombia.

Vijay Babu arrested for sexually assaulting a model

Actor and producer Vijay Babu was arrested and later released on bail after a model and actor accused him of raping her. The actor fled to Dubai after the accusations became viral and went live on Facebook to name the actor who accused him of sexual assault. The actor claimed that he misused her by promising her roles in his films. The actor returned to Kochi only after the Kerala High Court granted him bail.