Vijay Deverakonda—The Endearing Rowdy  

Vijay Deverakonda is a neither a boy next door nor a super-hero or just a superstar with all the trappings and giveaways of such stars. He is the rebel that most of us want to be, the charmer that many of us wish we could be and yet he retains in quite a disarming way, the boy-at-home image.

Fortunately for him, he has had a rapid upward climb in his film career. A Pelli Choopulu, Arjun Reddy, Geetagovindam and Nota now have landed him in an enviable space sans barriers of language and a specific image. What is even better is that he has no legacy or an established fan base of a dad or mom in the industry and he can therefore start off his own cult following, which he did, with elan, as it were. With so much already unravelled, he is undoubtedly a director's delight , the producer's winning charm and the audience's own Rowdy. What strikes us about him is the way he carries himself with abandon, a carefree approach and is yet very present when we speak to him.

In a recent interview to Sakshi Vijay was his usual best - composed, delightful and totally natural. Here are a few excerpts:

Q : You have seen overnight stardom. How does it feel?

V : Why do you say overnight stardom? You are not aware of how much I struggled to get here. Most of you know me from my hot films but before " Life is beautiful" I had nothing happening for a while. So it was not easy.

Q: Do you agree that you have a huge female following?

V : Maybe, not surprising that I do. But if I worked in a bank or had an office job, I would have just 2 or 3 people interested in me. It is because of my public persona that so many people know me and may be my admirers. So it is all a part of the game and I take it in my stride.

Q: Is there pressure of some sort, to hold your career up, now that you have a series of hits?

V : It is pressure if I think I am doing it all. The right things have been happening to me and each role I got seems to be one notch higher than the previous one. Nota is yet again a bigger opportunity to give my best. Also, breaking barriers and entering the Tamil market has been a great kick for me. Geetagovindam was greatly appreciated and the Tamil audience watched it even with subtitles! Nota I feel will do its magic.

Q: You are looked up to beyond being an actor. Is it true that KTR ( caretaker minister) is very close to you? Will you take your iconic image beyond films?

V: It is true that I am close to Ramanna. But let me clarify that what I have for him is immense respect. When we sit in private meetings where there is no media or fan-fare, all he talks about is the city and how to impact the people positively. So what we have is beyond friendship.

As far as my stardom is concerned, Yes, I would like to do something beyond cinema.

Q : What do your parents feel about your success?

V: Of course they are pleased! I have wanted to give them a comfortable life and am glad that it is happening when they can still enjoy it. Had I become this successful in my 40's they would perhaps be senior citizens to be able to relish my success.

Q: What is your wish or ambition?

V: ( Smiling with mischief) I would love a title like yuvasamrat or natasamrat or maybe something more fun!!

Well, frankly Vijay is all set to get those and more. Sakshi Post wishes him all the best.

In an interview to Swapna Ashok, Executive Editor, Sakshi TV