Akshay Kumar-Starrer Sky Force's Misrepresentation Of Ajjamada B. Devayya Enrages Kodava Community

Akshay Kumar-starred Sky Force hit theatres on January 24, 2025. The film also features Sara Ali Khan and Nimrat Kaur in key roles while marking Veer Pahariya's acting debut. While there was much anticipation among fans for the film, it has drawn the ire of one particular community — the Kodavas. For the unversed, Sky Force is inspired by real-life events, drawing from the life of Squadron Leader Ajjamada B. Devayya, who gave his life for the nation during the Indo-Pak war. Devayya was a Kodava. However, in Sky Force, the character inspired by him has been portrayed as Tamilian, something that didn't go down well with the Kodava community. 

Kodava influencer calls out Sky Force's misrepresentation of Squadron Leader Ajjamada B. Devayya as Tamilian

For the unversed, Akshay Kumar, Veer Pahariya, Sara Ali Khan, and Nimrat Kaur-starrer Sky Force is based on the retaliatory attack on Pakistan's Sargodha airbase in 1965. The movie is inspired by the life of Squadron Leader Ajjamada B. Devayya, who was posthumously awarded the Maha Vir Chakra (MVC) for laying down his life in battle. The brave soldier heroically downed a Pakistani aircraft before losing his life.

Ajjamada B. Devayya was a Kodava, who, for the uninitiated, are a minority community. Kodavas are a martial community of people residing in the Kodagu district of Karnataka. However, in Sky Force, the character inspired by Devayya is portrayed as a Tamilian. Lawyer, social media influencer, and proud Kodavathi, Tanya Appachu Kaul called out this misrepresentation in a recent video. She said:

"When you are making a movie about a real person, show respect to his roots and his culture and his family. Just because we're a minority that not many people know about, you cannot change the entire lineage of a real person."

Tanya Appachu Kaul questions the use of Ajjamada B. Devayya's name multiple times throughout promotions

Tanya Appachu Kaul then raised important point about the movie's marketing. Devayya has been mentioned as the inspiration for the film in multiple promotions. In fact, Veer Pahariya, who embodies Devayya's character, once told the latter's children that he would do his best to immortalise their heroic father for the next hundred generations. However, could this feat truly be accomplished if the hero's roots are washed away? Tanya said:

"I don't know if him and his wife were madrasified to get popular in the South or the makers simply did not care where he's from and typecast him as Bollywood's version of a South Indian. You can have all the creative freedom in the world, but if you are marketing your movie and glorifying it as the story of a real person then you should have kept it real."

Tanya also raised valid points in the caption of her video, highlighting other films wherein communities were accurately represented. On that note, Tanya questioned why the Kodava community had not been highlighted, especially since they were already under-represented in pop culture. A part of her caption can be read as:

"Captain Vikram Batra was correctly represented as a Himachali.. Maj Mukund Varadarajan was represented correctly as from Chennai. Mary Kom correctly shown as a Manipuri.. So we need to be mainstream to be correctly represented??"

Watch the video here. 

Who was Squadron Leader Ajjamada B. Devayya, the hero whose sacrifice was recognised after 23 years?

Squadron Leader Ajjamada B. Devayya was born in the Manchalli village near Kutta in Karnataka's Kodagu district on December 24, 1932, to parents, Ajjamada Bopayya and Neelamma. On December 26, 1954, the patriotic youngster joined the Indian Air Force. He was married to Keethiyanda Sundari. During the daring assault on Pakistan's heavily fortified Sargodha air base, Devayya carried out a heroic attack that resulted in his name being etched in history.

Devayya had been flying a French-made Dassault Mystère, a craft that couldn't quite keep up with Pakistan's US-made F-104 Starfighter. Yet, the soldier valiantly managed to down the enemy aircraft in a short but intense dogfight before tragically crashing himself. His exceptional heroism was posthumously recognised when he became a Maha Vir Chakra awardee in 1988, 23 years after his sacrifice.

Do you think creative license allows for a real person's roots to be changed?

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