Being a star kid, it might have been easy for Dhruv Vikram to enter tinsel town. Dhruv, son of ace actor and national award winner Vikram who is making his debut with Adithya Varma, says this is not something that he is proud of.
“I won’t say I got this Adhithya Varma opportunity on a platter. I wish I could get one merely on my merit and not with my surname. Having said that, how I am making use of it and bring pride to my dad is very important. Otherwise, it takes away the purpose -the legacy my dad has given me,” reveals Dhruv even as he talks to DC in an exclusive as to why his father chose the Arjun Reddy remake for his debut, how they addressed the criticism its Hindi version Kabir Singh faced and how he handled professionally the lip-lock scenes. The movie directed by Gireesaaya is all geared up for November 8 release.
Reasons for dad choosing Arjun Reddy remake: It’s a youthful character whose personality and traits matched mine. As a character, it was very challenging and there was a lot of scope for performance. Vijay Devarakonda and Shahid Kapoor interpreted it in their own ways and he feels that I would decode it in my own style.
Appa was there throughout the shoot. We enjoyed every bit and with passion we have made the remake. We wanted to bring something more to Tamil audiences than Arjun Reddy’s experience. Staying true to the original, we have added more local flavour and freshness.
Kabir Singh faced a lot of criticism: We have addressed those issues. The director has changed a few things. You will know when you watch the film.
A professional approach while shooting for lip-locks: Lip-lock and smooching scenes are like any other scene in the film. You do stunts, you do dance and this is also one among them. I look at it professionally and technically. And you know, appa will not sit on the monitor. He will be in front of the camera watching the scenes. In that scenario, if the thought of appa being around comes to my mind, then I am finished and I won’t be able to perform. It is part of my work. That’s all.
On co-stars Banita Sandhu and Priya Anand: Both are very talented. Priya Anand appears for only 15 minutes in the movie. But she has brought a lot of newness to her character - be it her role, montage song and dubbing - it is different from Arjun Reddy and Kabir Singh.
Banita is very hard working. Despite not knowing the language, she is very determined and motivated. She is very good.
On female fan followers: It’s a nice feeling. I used to watch appa’s film FDFS and experience the kind of response with hooting and whistling from fans. It was but natural for me as to how it would be when I start acting in films. Now, when students await my presence when I go for college shows and applaud and accept me, it is a surreal feeling.
On Appa’s criticism of his performance: My dad is very critical of my acting. He is very straightforward. If he does not like a take, he will say it is trash. However, it was heartwarming when he appreciated that I was natural in front of camera.
Wants to carry on the legacy of dad: My father struggled for more than10 years before he could make it. Sethu gave him a break and I was born around that time. He was already 36 then. Despite having slogged for long, he still had the fire in him. . He will go to any extent- changing his looks and gaining or losing weight to suit the characters he plays. Whether I am doing that or not, I don’t wish to waste this precious time and misuse the name and responsibility given to me.
Having seen appa’s struggle, why did he opt for acting career: I love two things in this world - My appa and cinema. In my growing years, I have watched all my dad’s films. Now, I watch all kinds of films in all languages. As a result, I am here in cinema.
Appa and him acting together: We haven’t got any concrete offer. Yes, I think there’s some script Vetri Maaran sir has been working on. He hasn’t approached us yet. All said and done, it is appa who has to take a call, whether he wants to work with me (laughs). If it happens, it will be out of the world. Let’s see.
His favourite: After dad, I like Thalapathy Vijay.
