The Vijay Factor And Its Relevance In Community

One of the most beautiful things about the youth on a whole is, they have the ability to make a remarkable difference when they embrace an idea or a person and determine a change basing on that. The time we allot to talk about cinema and its stars is more or less directly proportionate to the influence it has on us. We’ve been told by our teachers that a visual example makes a better impact than just theoretically explaining the same. Maybe this is the reason, we love to run behind successful people, which is not at all wrong. Maybe the imagery and representation that they carry for us, and often of us, is what drives us to be admiring movie stars. That’s because, in a way, we partially see ourselves in them. We enjoy their success and take inspiration as we talk about them. Within this context, one actor who fits perfectly is the latest adrenaline throbbing angry young man, Vijay Deverakonda.

Today I’d happen to watch the trailer for his latest (actually 5 years old) movie, Ye Mantram Vesave.

The less we speak of the trailer the better. Vijay plays a gamer who finds the ultimate game of finding and saving his love interest. A plain jane movie, which most would say, looks no better than an enthusiastic short filmmaker making a love story on zero budget, on an engineering campus.

Truth be told though, It is quite evident that Vijay has the least amount of interest in this one. One look at his page, and we know he doesn’t give a fuck. He even termed this movie as his ‘backlog’ hoping that the movie would disappear as soundlessly as it came, preventing any damage to be inflicted upon the now legendary Arjun Reddy image that Vijay has. What is interesting though is the fact that people, fans and admirers are with him on this. They’ve got his back on this one. Even before he spoke anything about the film, people on social media already made statements on his behalf such as – ‘not his mistake, he might have done it long back, maybe he had no choice back then’ and so on. So, you see, people have already understood him and are standing by him. They cannot watch him take a back step. His loss is ironically their loss.

He Knows It – We Know It; The World Is All Great

We all know that the name and fame Vijay garnered is not at all by fluke. He worked hard and smart for it and hence achieved it. I’d not compare him to anyone else, but by far he stands as one actor off late, who has made an over-whelming connect with the youth of Telugu states. His interactions, his attitude, his social media presence, everything he does is warmly embraced by the youth. The youth didn’t choose to tag him as any godly figure but instead owned him up and his mildly eccentric behaviour. Thus, and validly so, He’s now become the face of the youth across the Telugu states.

It is not an exaggeration to say that Vijay’s success with Arjun Reddy was not just celebrated by him, but a whole generation. We understand that a lot has been talked about Arjun Reddy. We already know Vijay is by far the most promising newcomer in the industry. But have you ever wondered why the success of Vijay, or better even, the continuation of his success is immensely important to the Telugu Film Industry in walking into newer and better pathways? Have you wondered – Why Vijay Deverakonda’s success is the collective success of people across the Telugu states? And in this context, why the next movie that follows up Arjun Reddy, needs to be a successful venture. It just has to be. There are no options there. That is what this article is truly about. About a handful of reasons which make people root for Vijay’s success and they will have to be rewarded by the star.

Vijay’s Success Broadened The Doors To Experimental Cinema

One would argue with our viewpoint when we say that Arjun Reddy in most cases opened up new avenues for experimental movies. Yes, there was Ithe, there was Grahanam, there was Kshanam and more such great noir movies. But, Arjun Reddy changed things for good. Why you ask? Simple, the above revolutionary movies, rarely had the common people connect. The only other movie which comes to mind where we see young generation leaving their stances and status quo, to follow the mannerisms and styling of a leading man in movies, is perhaps Shiva back in the 90’s. To create artsy movies, which defy the rules of conventional movie making is one thing. But to create a movement is entirely something else.

Arjun Reddy had people talking about it, vying for it, root for it and celebrate it, like never before. Slogans were made, mannerisms were adopted, raw masculine power was exhibited everywhere. Suddenly men saw themselves on screen, honestly. And they loved it. That is the power of an experiment going successful. Now, that has truly changed the way our movies are picked. At this point, film stars and movie makers, do not have the luxury of churning out the same stories again and again. They have to be realistic and organic. They can no longer afford to show a hero without his own inherent flaws. And that in itself has opened up doors for storytellers and filmmakers to truly explore their stories. They don’t have to give in to the whims of ‘stars’ to create larger than life roles and situations for them. Frankly, the audience doesn’t want it, Vijay and Arjun Reddy proved that.

Now the question is, will this movement sustain. It depends largely, as a responsibility on Vijay Deverakonda to pick projects which progress the movement. If the other projects do not live up to the platform created by Arjun Reddy, well, then it won’t take much time for the powerful ‘stars’ to reclaim ground and shutout doors for experimentation. Arjun Reddy would then become a flash in the pan.

Vijay Showcased A Voice For Himself – Resonating The Ideas Of People

Remember the interview Vijay Deverakonda had with TV9 during the promotions of Arjun Reddy. Agreed the interview itself was filled with stupid ass questions off the bat, but the way Vijay dealt with them, was also unprecedented. As Samuel.L.Jackson says ‘He fucking owned that shit’. Now, we’ll leave the discussion whether it was the appropriate behaviour with the media or not to the old and the knowledgeable, but hey no one’s complaining right? No, when no one has a problem, I guess he did do it right. Here was an upcoming actor, who wasn’t afraid to figuratively say STFU to the reporter. He wasn’t going to take the bullshit. And for the first time, the audience cheered. You see, internally each one of us wanted to see just this. That even if its TV9, with its lack of conviction, can be called out as stupid. They couldn’t take everyone for granted anymore. Nothing was beyond reproach.

Vijay had and still has a definitive voice which speaks for every one of us. No nonsense. No frill. No ego pampering. Fearless and to the point. That is what we want. By the end of the interview, we knew we had someone special here. Gone were the giggling reporters, or those pseudo-intellectuals who thought they were being smart asses. This is where our next point comes in. To truly establish the view of the new generation, we need Vijay to succeed with every movie. He will then become a bigger entity than all the news channels combined and pave the way for clear-headed, confident, and ambitious voices from across the industry to speak up and speak out. He needs to show everyone that it can be done while being true to the self.

Down With The Nepotism – We Believe In Vijay

It baffles me at times when no one talks about Nepotism in Telugu Film Industry? Are we to assume that it doesn’t exist at all? And no I’m not just talking about starsons (frankly they irritate me like a rotten tomato) but sons of technicians, producers and directors. Look and listen, there is a change coming. Thankfully, we are getting movies which are succeeding irrespective of the star-power. Nani and Ravi Teja being the perfect examples of stars who drive people to flock the theatres. But when you keenly observe, Nani and Ravi Teja represent a community which is middle class and restricted. They hardly have any takers in the urban upper middle-class populace. That void has to be filled by someone. Vijay Deverakonda is the perfect filler for that. We don’t see anything wrong with it. The audience is changing. They don’t want to watch your movie, they get onto Amazon Prime or Netflix. They have options. The ‘A’ centres need actors who have an appeal which is cross-cultural and urbane. Let ‘B’ and ceded areas be ruled by their Nani’s, Ravi Teja’s, Ram Charan’s and Allu Arjun’s. Let a new crop of actors play for the ‘A’ centres and multiplex audience.

This in no way says that Vijay Deverakonda cannot connect with the rural and ‘B’ centres. Maybe someday he will. But right now, he is needed here more. Vijayawada, Rajahmundry, Tanuku, Tirupati, Nellore, Kurnool, Kakinada, Tanuku and more such can perhaps wait. Star-sons rule these areas but with Vijay’s success in urban areas, the impact will be felt. After all, don’t our rural population try to mimic the cultural preferences of the urban. They need to see what urban population is gaining with Vijay, and they will logically abandon Star-sons and look for different options. That’s how politics and economics work. Would it be wrong that Cinema works in the same manner?

The Pan Indian Star Appeal – Vijay Deverakonda

Let there be no mistake that Vijay Deverakonda with Arjun Reddy now enjoys a nationwide recognition. He’s no Priya Varrier but hey everyone knows him as that guy from that movie. When have we last had that? One of our Telugu stars impressing the hell out of everyone across the country. Re-makers are scrambling for the remaking rights of the movie, and those who can’t afford it, for the dubbing rights. In one of our conversations with a renowned Bollywood production house recently, Vijay became a fifteen-minute long discussion. What is even better is that Vijay can actually represent Telugu Film Industry. We don’t have to rely on supposed stars who can’t properly utter a word at National meets and platforms. Who can’t communicate their ideas or vouch for their experiences? They seem like a deer standing stunned in front of the headlights. Utterly clueless.

And then there’s this guy. Confident, well mannered (brash if need be), clear in his head, with applicable communication skills. Heck, if he weren’t an actor, he’d make a fine HR. Jokes apart, Vijay Deverakonda, again represents a society, a generation of Telugu population which breaks the stereotypical low confident, meek people image on the national front. No no. We are creative, confident and awesome. Ain’t nobody gonna tell us shit. He is the face of our generation. Provided of course he remains successful. Success, therefore, is not an option for Vijay sadly. It is his collective responsibility.

Some Final Thoughts Before We Take Your Leave

I think we as humans always need one idol to look up to. It is not to just mindlessly gaze at him/her, but instead, we see ourselves in them and draw inspirations in our respective fields. Same is the case with Vijay, people related to him. A middle-class commoner like most of us spoke up for his movie with elegance and went on to hit the bull in its eye. He brought a new hope to Telugu cinema. This is one reason people have always been looking up to him.

His every win strengthens people’s hope that a change is possible. A hope that they can boast of a boy who brought in a rebellious movement in regional cinema. Not every actor can establish such a connection with the youth. The vibe Vijay created with the youth shocked even the industry. It is not just across the Telugu states, but he has been recognized across all the major film industries in the country. He leads the next generation of actors and all of this boil down to tells us that, Vijay Deverakonda needs to keep winning!

So what should he do about the crappy little movie coming out as a follow up to Arjun Reddy called ‘Ye Mantram Vesave’. Our advice, let it come and go silently and let Vijay wash off his hands with a Dettol Sanitizer on this one. Because this ain’t gonna do anything to the responsibility he carries towards his career but also towards the collective movie win.

Personally, if you ask me, Vijay Devarakonda needs to perhaps buy off this movie, have it not released, taken off the YouTube and drowned into the abyss. No one’s the wiser.

We hope for the best!!