A superstar in the making

Vijay Deverakonda is the talk of the town. And rightfully so. His latest film Geetha Govindam has not only created a sensation with its box-office openings, but has also propelled the actor into the big league. 

Interestingly, a couple of years ago, when he debuted in Pelli Choopulu, Vijay had to literally beg filmmakers to support his film. Now, the scenario has completely changed. Despite not having a godfather in the industry, Vijay is one of the most sought after actors today. His unusual choice of movie subjects puts him in a class apart. 

Geetha Govindam collected nearly Rs 10 crore throughout the world on the first day, but the actor is disarmingly still unaware about the numbers. “I feel stressed when I read these numbers. Someone called me and told me about the figures in the ceded area. I don’t know what that means and I really don’t know what the reference point is,” says Vijay, who adds, “I want to focus on telling stories. It’s the producer’s job to figure out the numbers.” 

When told that these numbers give an actor his stature and that many are predicting that he is going to be the next superstar of Tollywood, Vijay says, “My job is to tell stories. It’s too much to think about stardom.”

On Geetha Govindam’s success
“It was not my solo decision, rather it was the collective decision of Bunny Vas, Allu Aravind and Parasuram. I heard the script and really liked it, but I told them that many actors are doing family entertainers. Since I was looking to do something different from Arjun Reddy, I signed up for it,” says Vijay.

On stardom
“Stardom is a very exciting thing. You clearly know who a star is from the reaction they get. Because of this recognition only, I can do a clothing line or auction my National award and get Rs 25 lakh. So, yes, there is definitely something called stardom, but that has to come out of the work I do,” explains Vijay. He adds, “All I do is stay with my parents and go to my shoots. I am simply doing my work as an actor.”

On Competition in T’wood
“The films I do are different from those stars; the space I am working in is very different from them. Many people ask me how I can touch the villain’s feet, but my real life is very different from what I portray onscreen. I go with the flow of my character,” he says.

No pressure
With each of his films turning into hits, does he feel any pressure? “Not really, but after seeing this, my producers want to make big budget films with me. But I don’t need that kind of big money in my films. I am making decent money and it’s sufficient,” says the actor, adding, “In fact, if the producer puts big money into a film, it is the director who feels the pressure. Of course, I don’t mind if my next film makes bigger collections than this one!” Vijay concludes, “I wanted to do a small and cute film without worrying about collections. And that’s what I got. Only the story interests me at the end of the day.”