5 Times Vijay Deverakonda Aced It

Incontestably, Vijay Deverakonda is  the biggest Telugu  star of  the post-Mahesh Babu era. His audacious re-definition  of   the screen  hero and his staggering fan following compounded by  an uncanny marketing  savvy, have  taken Vijay’s  popularity  from Andhra to  other parts  of  India even without  a single Hindi release!  As  his new film World Famous Lover opens this  week  here are  5  roles  that  define VD’s superstardom.

1.     Pelli Choopulu(2016):  Even before Arjun Reddy, in his very first starring role Vijayrocked it  as a  loverboy  who wants to be  a chef. The film’s keenly balanced  narrative swung from  romance to  food without missing a  beat. Vijay gave a thoughtful, unorthodox performance  that  made ample space for the character to  grow  as  the  narrative progressed.If you  feel Vijay’s career began with Arhun Reddy them  go back to this appetizer.

2.     Arjun Reddy(2017): What can be said about a film that has in many ways, re-defined the boundaries of not  just Telugu cinema  but also  regional cinema per se?  Regional remained  no longer regional,as  Vijay  took on the role of a headstrong thoroughly unpleasant doped-out doc with serious commitment  issues. Hate him or  hate him(no one could love this despicable dude)  Vijay stood fearlessly tall at the centre  of the storm. His performance remains  far ahead  of what Shahid Kapoor did in the  Hindi remake. As for the Tamil remake,let’s not even  go there.

3.     Geetha  Govindam(2018):  This is a surprisingly  lowkey  libido-teaser.   It whips  up a frothy fun ambience through a chance encounter between a virginal college lecturer and  a rather stiff upper-lipped Miss Hoity-toity. That the two roles are played by Vijay Deverakonda  and Rashmika Mandanna is a dash of destiny doing its  devilish bit to add spice to this honeyed though never over-sweetened confection of  love  during times of wedding festivities and carnal urges. This  is the world of Sooraj Barjatya tinged with a  touch of tender eroticism and defined by  a bustling state  of  constant anxiety about the mating game.And who better equipped  to  project  the exacerbated  anxieties  of  sexual discontent than Vijay Deverakonda? Doing a  fulsome  360-degree about-turn from his role as  the self-consumed  destructive alcoholic-junkie in Arjun Reddy, Deverakonda is  absolutely at home playing a man bewildered  by the circumstances that suddenly appear to control  his life and  libido. The Superstar brings a refreshing candour to the romance  . Simultaneously flustered and  in-control,  he is the  Urban Nomad looking for a place to pitch his heated tent.Besides the very likeable leading man, what I really like about Geetha Govinda is its feisty take on gender equations that are played out in this film in  a spirit of  puckish irony.

4.     Taxiwaala(2018): There is durability in fluidity. Vijay proved it again .”Taxiwaala” is a breezy blizzard of easy scares and languorous laughter. This mix was  a hit in the Hindi film “Stree”. It is attempted successfully again, bringing to the fused genre a kind of buoyant eeriness that makes ghosts and spirits non-threatening but not glib or over-casual. You may not be frightened by the spirit of the proceedings. But the scares are never scarce.The pace is maintained all through.”Taxiwaala” is all about Deverakonda’s love for his taxi. The two are as romantically involved as Jimi Hendrix and his guitar. There are scenes of spiked hilarity where the actor speaks directly to his car, as though it were a particularly bothersome girlfriend whom he acquired without checking her Adhaar card. Nemesis is just a joyride in this feel-good horror-comedy where Stephen King meets David Dhawan and they both head to see “Stree”.

5.     World Famous Lover(2020):  Vijay’s previous release Dear  Comrade  under-performed  at  the  boxoffice. But that was purely because  the expectations this Superstar has generated  go way beyond the  routine. This time in  World Famous Lover, Deverakonda  will take  on four  very diverse  leading ladies  indulging in  a every unusual game of  courtship. This Valentine’s Day , Vijay  will take  on  Kartik Aryan and Love AajKal. The language  of  love is universal.May the best  lover win.