A promotional poster for Sundeep Kishan’s upcoming film Sigma has landed Mythri Film Distributors in controversy. The poster, released to announce the film’s distribution across Coastal Andhra and Telangana, reportedly featured a map of the erstwhile undivided Andhra Pradesh. The imagery quickly drew criticism from sections of the Telangana audience, with social-media users objecting to the use of a combined-state map more than a decade after the bifurcation. Sigma, directed by Jason Sanjay and produced by Lyca Productions, is scheduled to hit theatres on October 2.
Backlash Forces Mythri To Act
The issue quickly turned into a talking point online, with the poster being perceived by some as insensitive to Telangana’s separate identity. Amid the backlash, Mythri Film Distributors reportedly deleted the controversial poster and replaced it with a revised version representing Andhra Pradesh and Telangana separately. While there has been no indication that the controversy is connected to the actual story of Sigma, the promotional material has nevertheless put the spotlight on how regional identities are represented in film marketing. The incident comes just as Mythri has taken up the theatrical distribution of the film in two major Telugu regions.
Sigma Heads For A Big Release
Despite the controversy, Sigma continues to generate buzz ahead of its October 2 release. The action-adventure heist thriller marks Jason Sanjay’s directorial debut, with Sundeep Kishan and Faria Abdullah in the lead and Thaman S composing the music. Mythri is handling Coastal Andhra and Telangana, while NVR Cinema will distribute the film in Ceded, giving it a sizeable Telugu release. The poster episode has certainly added an unexpected layer of attention to a film that was already under the spotlight because of Jason Sanjay’s debut.
