Vijay's meteoric rise: Leo makers demand Rs 25 crore for Telugu rights

Undoubtedly, Tamil superstar Vijay, who turned 49 year old today, has expanded his fan base in two Telugu states with his acting and dancing prowess. And there are no prizes for guessing when the makers of his next much-hyped Tamil movie “Leo’ are demanding a whopping Rs 25 crores for the Telugu dubbing rights.

“It is true that Leo makers are demanding Rs 25 crores because of the heady combination of Vijay and director Lokesh Kanagaaraj, who is known for big hits like “Kaithi’ and ‘‘Vikram’. In fact, Vijay’s market has expanded very well in the last 3 to 4 years, almost like a meteoric rise in Telugu states,” says producer-distributor Abhishek Namma, who says that even his last release ‘Vaarasudu’ had minted around Rs 12 crores in twin Telugu states.

“Vijay has surely surpassed his Tamil colleagues like Surya, Karthi and even superstar Rajnikanth after hits like ‘Sarkar’ with ‘Master’. He is a very good dancer and adept in action-driven roles and also has a flair for comedy,” adds Abhishek.

Concurring the same, Tamil producer Keyaar says, “Not only in Telugu states, Vijay is truly No 1 in Kollywood as well and no two ways about it. He has outwitted his colleagues and placed himself comfortably at the top. Vijay is number one in Kerala state too in terms of business,” says Keyaar.

Then why there was uproar in Tamil Nadu, when Telugu producer Dil Raju called him the superstar some time ago. “The uproar was only about the superstar tag because Rajnikanth has been bestowed with that honour for decades. Like in Telugu cinema, Chiranjeevi was called megastar and not superstar because veteran actor Krishna owned the title,” he points out.

On reigning star’s plans for political entry in Tamil Nadu, Keyaar says, “Vijay’s timing is right since both existing parties are facing allegations of corruption. For people who are looking for a change, Vijay could be an alternative. He has charisma and boasts of a humongous fan following, but he needs to impress voters with his positive vision and good deeds in the days to come to consolidate his position. He should also prove that he is into politics to serve people and not for a post or position."