Madikeri: Members of the Kodava community in Kodagu have expressed strong opposition to the portrayal of Squadron Leader Ajjamada B. Devayya in the Hindi historical war film Sky Force. The film, released on January 24, 2025, is based on the life of Devayya, a Maha Vir Chakra (MVC) awardee who sacrificed his life during the 1965 Indo-Pak War after heroically downing a Pakistani aircraft.
The controversy arose after Tanya Appachu Kaul, a lawyer and social media influencer from the Kodava community, alleged that the filmmakers misrepresented Devayya’s cultural roots. Tanya pointed out that the movie depicts Devayya, a Kodava, as a Tamilian belonging to a Tamil family. Her Instagram video criticizing this creative choice has gone viral, sparking widespread discussion on social media platforms.
“It may not be a big deal to a lot of pll but as someone from the Kodava community .. a minority not represented at all in pop culture .. it kinda made me feel uncomfortable that no trouble was taken to represent us correctly,” Tanya wrote in an instagram video post.
The film is directed by Abhishek Anil Kapur and Sandeep Kewlani and produced by Dinesh Vijan and Amar Kaushik under Maddock Films, alongside Jyoti Deshpande under Jio Studios. The cast includes Akshay Kumar as Wing Commander O.P. Taneja (Veer Chakra), Veer Pahariya in his debut role as Squadron Leader Devayya, and Sara Ali Khan as Sundari Devayya, the squadron leader’s wife.
Many members of the Kodava community have echoed Tanya’s concerns, criticizing the filmmakers for altering Devayya’s lineage. “When you are making a movie about a real person, show respect to his roots, his culture, and his family. Just because we are a minority that not many know about, you cannot change the entire lineage of a real person,” Tanya said in her viral video.
Squadron Leader Ajjamada B. Devayya, born on December 24, 1932, in Manchalli village near Kutta in Karnataka’s Kodagu district, was the son of Ajjamada Bopayya and Neelamma. He joined the Indian Air Force on December 26, 1954, and was married to Keethiyanda Sundari.
Devayya’s heroics during the daring airstrike on Pakistan’s heavily fortified Sargodha airbase on September 7, 1965, are etched in history. Flying a French-made Dassault Mystère—inferior to the US-made F-104 Starfighter used by Pakistan—Devayya managed to shoot down the enemy aircraft in a brief, intense dogfight before tragically crashing. His exceptional bravery was posthumously recognized with the Maha Vir Chakra in 1988, 23 years after his sacrifice.
(With inputs from Mohan Devaiah Ballimada)
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Showing Sqd Ldr Devayya as Tamilisn is like showing Bhagat Singh from the Uttar Pradesh. If Bhagat Singh 's sacrifice is important then so is that of Sqd ldr Devayya.
Bollywood has always been racist.