Hyderabad: Vijay Deverakonda is a name that holds weight not just for fans of Telugu cinema, but also for Bollywood followers. It’s been quite a ride for him from rags to riches, and this is a story of his hard work paying off, success, and an unexpected twist involving a prestigious award.
Initially, Vijay made his acting debut with a supporting role in the film Nuvvila (2011). But his role in the critically acclaimed ‘Pelli Choopulu’ (2016) brought him into the limelight. The major breakthrough happened in 2017 with the role of ‘Arjun Reddy’ which became a rage and became a cult movie. The success of Arjun Reddy gave rise to its blockbuster Hindi remake – Kabir Singh.
The Bollywood Debut Flop
Vijay Deverakonda is a huge star in the South, but he wanted to try his luck in Bollywood. He made his debut with Liger, a sports action film directed by Puri Jagannadh. The movie was shot in Hindi and Telugu at the same time. This film, which was also the first Indian movie for former American professional boxer Mike Tyson, had a lot of hype. Because of COVID-19 restrictions, the film took a long time to make, which caused problems for it. It came out in August 2022.
Unfortunately, Liger turned out to be one of the biggest Bollywood flops in recent times. Despite starring alongside Ananya Panday, Vijay couldn’t replicate his Telugu success on the Hindi screen. The film collected Rs 48.58 crore gross in India and an additional Rs 7.60 crore overseas, resulting in a worldwide gross collection of Rs 56.18 crore.
Auctioning the Filmfare Award
In 2018, Vijay Deverakonda won his first Filmfare Award for Best Actor (Telugu) for his outstanding performance in Arjun Reddy. However, instead of keeping the award as a cherished possession, he made a surprising decision. Vijay auctioned his Filmfare Award for a whopping Rs 25 lakh, with the proceeds going to the Chief Minister’s Relief Fund. In an interview with Galatta Plus, he explained his rationale:
“We auctioned my first Best Actor award I got from Filmfare. It got a good chunk of money, that’s a nicer memory for me than a piece of stone in my house.”
The Family Star is Vijay Deverakonda’s latest film, a romantic drama with Mrunal Thakur. It was released in theatres on April 5th and opened to mixed to negative reviews from audiences and critics.
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