Arjun Reddy gave us the angrier, younger, hunkier man in Vijay Deverakonda. On Throwback Thursday
India Today
Liger star Vijay Deverakonda's blockbuster film Arjun Reddy turned 5 on August 25. In this week's Throwback Thursday, we tell you how the film cemented Vijay's place in the Telugu film industry.
Vijay Deverakonda's first pan-India film, Liger, opened in the theatres on Thursday, August 25. His ambitious project released on the same day as his blockbuster Telugu hit, Arjun Reddy, released five years ago (August 25, 2017). And it was Arjun Reddy, directed by Sandeep Vanga Reddy, that proved to be a turning point in Vijay's career. In this week's Throwback Thursday, we tell you how the film cemented Vijay's place in the Telugu film industry.
Vijay Deverakonda made his debut in the Telugu film industry with Nuvvila in 2011. He was later seen in Pelli Choopulu (2015) and Dwaraka (2017). But none of these movies managed to bring him the accolades that Arjun Reddy did. After Dwaraka, Vijay was seen in the titular role of a self-destructive, short-tempered, and alcoholic surgeon. The role brought him critical acclaim, and also got him awards. But, most of all, it cemented his place in the Telugu film industry.
The Telugu film industry is dominated by families and almost all the stars belong to either of the Allu-Konidela, Akkineni-Daggubati or Nandamuri families. But, Vijay Deverakonda is the only actor who rose to great heights despite not belonging to a film family, which is no mean feat.
Arjun Reddy was a one-of-a-kind film. The protagonist did whatever he felt like, was brash and never held himself back. However, his bratty behaviour and the unkempt look scored Vijay millions of fans, who went gaga about him and the film. Vijay Deverakonda totally owned the film. Apart from Vijay's portrayal of Arjun, fans also loved his on-screen chemistry with Shalini Sharma, who played the naive Preethi.
Arjun Reddy received flak from every corner for its problematic content. It was dubbed misogynistic and Vijay's Arjun was called an abuser. The fact that Preethi still stuck to Arjun was defined as Stockholm syndrome - where a victim develops a sort of affection towards their captor or abuser. Yet, the film went on to become a blockbuster.
Arjun Reddy was a major hit in the Telugu market. So much so that the film was remade in Tamil and Hindi. The Tamil version was called Adithya Varma with Dhruv Vikram playing the lead role. Shahid Kapoor reprised Vijay Deverakonda's role in Kabir Singh, the Hindi version of Arjun Reddy. Both, like Arjun Reddy, were blockbuster hits but were also criticised by many for glorifying violence against women and bullying.
To date, Vijay Deverakonda is asked if he regrets portraying a character like Arjun Reddy. As an actor, Vijay always backs his choice, even as he doesn't endorse Arjun's character traits. But, love it or hate it, Arjun Reddy was a super-duper hit. And it undeniably established Vijay - the angrier, younger, hunkier man.
