Vijay Deverakonda stays away from rip-off

After the spectacular impact that he made last year with his blockbuster film Arjun Reddy, actor Vijay Deverakonda is staying away from promoting his new release Ye Mantram Versave — it is for good reason.

While Vijay refrains from commenting on the matter, a source close to the project spills the beans. “Vijay had signed this film long before Arjun Reddy. They were shooting for it in 2013 when Vijay was struggling for a foothold. Halfway through the film, he realised it was rip-off of David Fincher’s 1997 blockbuster, The Game. Vijay was shocked but he continued shooting. After the film was completed, the producers and distributors did not find the project commercially viable since Vijay was not a known name. The actor pleaded with them to release the film. But they chose to turn a deaf ear. Now, after Arjun Reddy, they’ve woken up to Vijay’s newly-acquired box-office status. Hence, the hurried release of Ye Mantram Vesave.”

According to sources, this ‘rip-off’ was never meant to be promoted by Vijay Deverakonda. “He made it very clear he’d be no part of it,” adds the source.
Interestingly, Vijay is not the first actor to be embarrassed by a film jumping up on him from the past. Akshay Kumar too had to deal with Meri Biwi Ka Jawaab Nahin, which was released in an incomplete form long after he became a star. Similarly, Priyanka Chopra also had to deal with producer K. C. Bokadia releasing Deewana Main Deewana seven years after it was completed.