By Akshay Acharya Mumbai 10th August : Vijay Deverakonda’s climb in the industry has been explosive.He was first introduced to the Hindi market with his Telugu release ‘Arjunreddy”, in which he played surgeon who plunges into self-destruction following a heartbreak.
Bollywood actor Shahid Kapoor’s film of the year “Kabir Singh,” a remake of the film ‘Arjun Reddy The film also piqued interest of viewers for the first Sandeep Reddy Vanga film.they eventually came across Deverakonda and are eagerly awaiting his coming Hindi film debut with “Liger,” with an appearance by the legendary boxer Mike Tyson.
Tyson is an impressive following due to his conduct in and out of the ring, is looking to grow his fan base with the release of the film.
In a recent interview with IANS, Vijay spoke about his experiences of working with Tyson.
Vijay declares: “Mike Tyson came to just have fun.He doesn’t think of himself as an actor.He was asking us, ‘Why do you want to portray me as an actor What’s the point? We explained that his personality is so valuable to the story.The weight of his fame adds weight to the movie.”
Tyson who has previously been featured in many mainstream media in either cameo appearances or as an actor or topic of comedy or satire, was certain of his pace, style and aim.Perhaps, it is due to the disciplined way he trained.
Vijay recalls: “He used to come and listen to the drama and then play with the scene, and play a little with it.”
The crew was worried about any cultural shocks that might be averted for the boxer “Initially we were a bit worried about whether we would achieve what we wanted from him.We are an entirely different type of cinema.I speak in Telugu in my own personal space.Same goes to his with regard to English.”
However, the time served like grease on the film’s journey, and it went smoothly with the passage of time, and we quickly began to work on the same page”, Vijay shares further.
They also accommodated Tyson who was the first heavyweight boxer who held titles such as the WBA (World Boxing Association), WBC (World Boxing Council) and IBF (International Boxing Federation) titles.
“We needed to alter some action sequences to fit his style and style, as Mike Tyson doesn’t do MMA, he is a boxer.
Our action director subtly altered the sequences to suit his rhythm.However, he was game to do anything”, Vijay adds.
Like its title “Liger” is a blend of the worlds of Telugu and Hindi cinema, as it is screened simultaneously in Hindi and Telugu and is produced by Telugu filmmaker Puri Jagannadh.The film was produced by Karan Johar’s Dharma Productions – premier Hindi film studio.
Vijay says that they made the majority of the movie in Mumbai.The actor is amazed by the talent and quickness of technicians working at the lowest levels of the film crew in Mumbai.
“They are extremely efficient and cost-effective with both time and money.Therefore, a film that would take 200 days to make was completed in about 140 days”, he says with an unmistakable sparkle in his eyes.
The efficiency increases to the top echelons as well as air-conditioned rooms of the film’s crew too, in Vijay’s opinion.
“The marketing and promotional logistics are extremely efficient in this regard,” he says, noting another distinction between the two sectors.
To play his role in the movie, the actor wanted to appear extremely muscular , or as he says, he “wanted to look like an animal”.Therefore, he approached the body model of the character mixing intense weight training with combat training.
“Yeah but it’s not as the best way to achieve the desired physicality since weight training can add an amount of rigidity to the body in contrast to the requirements of the agile body of an MMA fighter,” he states as he examines his back.
“But you must manage things in the given frame of time.
The constant pounding of deadlines is the essence of showbiz isn’t it”? The actor asks.
“To beat the stiffness in my muscles I then made myself perform spin kicks, as that will help keep the body in some flexibility.
He even suffered an injury during his training.”You must pay to get some thing”, he says as he smiles at his pain, giving the impression of the words of Muhammad Ali once said, “I was miserable each minute of training but I always said”Don’t quit.Be patient today and enjoy for the remaining of your life being champion'”.The air in the room suddenly turns into the appearance of a blanket of weight after the mentions of the two boxing legends.
Vijay is able to glide through another vantage area that is part of the development of the Indian film industry in an overall scheme.
“I believe that the Indian film industry is moving in the right direction.
If we want to become a major player we must unify the country with bridges of content.One of our greatest strengths is our large population and the market potential it brings.”
“The main reason Amazon, Apple and Google are setting up massive infrastructure and investing in an infrastructure that is of high quality is because the Indian consumer market is the ultimate goal” the actor says.
In a financial shade to his reply, he continues, “If we could make films that are compatible with the different languages of Hindi, Tamil, Telugu, Tamil, Kannada, Marathi and other, imagine how much that could boost the industry and improve the economics in specific ways”, he talks proudly of the film industry, which is a major contributor to the tax structure and the revenue of the government of the nation.”
“We are on the right track in we move forward in the Indian film industry grows,’ he concludes as he breaks from the interviews soon to be conducted.
“Liger” written by Puri Jagannadh will be released in cinemas on the 25th of August 2022.
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