Chennai: “I came to cinema without any backing. But, I have a huge family today. I am emotional as my fans shower a lot of love on me,” says actor Vijay Deverakonda.
The Arjun Reddy actor was in Chennai to promote his next Dear Comrade that would be released in Telugu, Tamil, Kannada and Malayalam later this month. Directed by Bharat Kamma, the movie features Rashmika Mandanna as heroine. Music is by Justin Prabhakaran.
Speaking about Dear Comrade to News Today, Vijay Deverakonda says, “Though I play a student leader in the movie, there is no politics in it. He fights for what he loves the most in his college. His passion makes up the movie.”
Excerpts from his interview
Q: Tell us about Dear Comrade.
A: It is a film that is very close to my heart. I carried it in my shoulders for over a year. I play a student leader. There is neither politics in the film nor politically-charged dialogues. The film is a question for every one of us. It has come out the way we wanted it to be.
Q: Have you dubbed for yourself in Tamil?
A: I finished the dubbing for the film in Telugu only a couple of days ago. I haven’t dubbed for the Tamil version of the movie. I still have to learn the language better. A person who has dubbed for me has done a wonderful job.
Q: How was it to share screen with Rashmika Mandanna after Geetha Govindam?
A: Geetha and Govind were different characters altogether. Bobby and Lilly in Dear Comrade will be in complete contrast to them. There won’t be a deja vu. Rashmika has given her best and she has lit up the screen with her performance.
Q: What was the reason to do Dear Comrade in four languages?
A: We began Dear Comrade as a Telugu flick. As we started shooting, we decided that it should be taken to other languages because of its story. We felt people across States should see this. My next film is a straight Telugu movie.
Q: Why you haven’t signed any direct Tamil film after NOTA?
A: NOTA was my first in Tamil. Lots of scripts came my way in Tamil after that. I should say that it is never easy to do a straight Tamil film. I don’t have command over the language. When I was shooting for NOTA, I used to work hard to get my diction right. After the day’s shoot, I would sit the whole night and rehearse the lines for next day. I gave all my energy for audience to decide. Had I got it back from them in the form of a success, may be I would have been emboldened to do more here.
Q: Who is your favourite artiste in Tamil?
A: Much recently, I saw Super Deluxe and was amazed by the work of director Thiyagarajan Kumararaja. And I should tell you, I am big fan of Vijay Sethupathi. I wonder how he manages to do more than eight films a year with such precision and planning. His versatility amazed me. Given an opportunity, I would love sit with him and understand more about his work schedule and ethics.
Q: Why are you keen on working with new filmmakers?
A: It just happens. I just ensure that my filmmakers are below 40 years so that they would be in tune with latest trends. Be it Sandeep Reddy (Arjun Reddy), Parasuram (Geetha Govindam) or Bharat Kamma (Dear Comrade), I was convinced after seeing their earlier works in the form of short films and confidently agreed to act in their films. They all have immense talent. And We bond well. Also we get enough freedom from our producers to do what we want.