Vijay Devarakonda, the name that trended on Friday, is everything that Indian actors probably wish to be, but cannot be. Irrespective of the fate of his latest bilingual, NOTA, the spotlight has certainly been on the young actor. His confidence, his unapologetic choices, unconventional interviews, and most importantly his marketing skills, form the crux of Brand Vijay.
VD, as he is fondly called on social media, is a great Tollywood gambler, playing the game like no one ever did before. Telugu film industry moulds artists’ conduct offscreen in a certain template—political correctness and appeasement of certain sections of society are just some of the commandments. Spewing the famed four-letter cuss word at an audio function crosses the blasphemy line by any metric.
Prior to the release of his political thriller, NOTA, VD did not fret about telling journalists who he voted for and who he will vote for in the coming elections. The Telugu film industry and the political establishment are intertwined. Rampant casteism and regionalism play a role in polarising fans and influencing the political choices of stars. Two senior actors with immense fan followings belong to two different political parties. It is in this complex setup that a young hero without an industry godfather or the backing of a star family, risked publicly spelling out his political choice.
However, Devarakonda’s boldest decision till date has to be NOTA. For any star, gaining a foothold in a new territory is not easy. Fearing failure, many established Telugu actors have not ventured into the neighbouring Mollywood or Kollywood.
It is difficult to fathom what exactly was going through VD’s mind when he signed a politically loaded movie, with the potential to ruffle feathers in Tamil Nadu. In the existing fragile environment, an outsider (VD) preaching politics to the Tamil audience is not exactly a safe bet. The launch vehicle was rocky, but the efforts paid off. The 29-year-old actor is already being compared to the Tamil greats.
There is another territory that VD has conquered. Though Andhra Pradesh and Telangana are connected linguistically, the two states have their distinct identities. VD hails from Telangana. In almost all of his movies, he retains the Telangana or Hyderabadi dialect. As a result, he is identified more with the region. For decades, Telugu films by default relied on Andhra dialects as most of the producers, actors and directors hailed from that region. VD seemed to have bridged the gap in his own style.
By all indications, his star has just risen. In his case, where the reel begins, the ‘real’ ends.
