Everything seemed to be going smoothly. The buzz around the film was strong, promotions were in full swing — then suddenly, the trend “#BoycottBhairavam” began to take over. What happened?
A single political comment by director Vijay Kanakamedala has sparked intense negativity around the film.
Ironically, the very people who insist that politics and cinema should not mix are often the first to make political statements when given a mic — only to end up sabotaging their own films. That’s exactly what seems to have happened with Bhairava.
As part of the film’s promotions, Vijay Kanakamedala made a politically charged comment that rubbed many the wrong way, especially supporters of the YSR Congress Party.
Since then, the “#BoycottBhairavam” trend has been gaining traction, particularly across YSRCP-aligned social media handles.
This isn’t the first time such a backlash has occurred. Recently, actor Prudhvi made political remarks at an event for the film Laila.
The controversy spiraled, and lead actor Vishwak Sen was left to deal with the fallout. At one point, he was so distressed he broke down in tears — but by then, the damage was done. Laila turned out to be a disaster.
Now, history seems to be repeating itself. Vijay Kanakamedala’s remark — “Someone always rises to protect dharma. Exactly a year ago, someone did the same in our state” — has angered YSRCP supporters, who view it as a veiled reference to opposition leader Jagan Mohan Reddy.
Ironically, the Bhairava event was held among TDP supporters, and no one else made political statements. But Vijay appears to have crossed a line.
While promoting the film with the line “A Mahabharat where our own people kill our own,” he seems to be letting his personal agenda get in the way — and in the process, hurting his own film.
