Of the show
Actor Vijay Deverakonda discusses the middleclass setting of his latest film Family Star Akhila Bhargavan is enjoying the attention coming her way postPremalu
n a balmy summer afternoon, with barely three days to go before the release of his new Telugu film Family Star, Vijay Deverakonda is a picture of calm. The actor reveals that at least 50 people known to the producer, the director and his own family members have watched the film, and there is an air of cheer and confidence.
One of the first video promos of Family Star summed up the essence of Vijay’s character, a combination of a family man and a star who flexes his muscles. The initial title in consideration, however, was different. “The original title was the hero’s name, Govardhan. In real life, this is my father’s name. In the film,
OA◣ the grandfather passes on this name to my character and believes that the boy can shoulder the family responsibilities,” says Vijay. Once the film went on floors, the team wanted a title representing someone in each family who makes everyone feel secure. “Every family has a star. We wanted a title that would resonate with everyone through that characterisation.”
Family Star, in which he shares the screen with Mrunal Thakur, is his second collaboration with director Parasuram Petla after Geetha Govindam (2018). “When I take a flight to travel, I most often interact with people; at almost every airport I come across people who tell me that they loved Geetha Govindam (GG) and ask me when I will do such a film again. This time, we went all out to try and ensure that the audience has a blast,” says Vijay. khila Bhargavan is enjoying the attention coming her way postPremalu,by way of requests for selfies or just people wanting to speak to her. “I like the feeling, it is nice to have people say good things about Karthika [her character in Premalu] and the film in general,” says the actor over the phone from Kannur.
She confesses she did not expect Premalu to be such a big hit. “I knew it would do well because it is a Bhavana Studios production helmed by Gireesh AD…what could go wrong? Having said that, I didn’t expect that it would do this well, on
A lot has changed since the times of GG. “Back then, we had nothing to lose,” Vijay recalls. “I was just winging it; I was a young boy happy that I was getting to live my dream of acting in films. I loved going to the sets and acting and did not think further. It took me a week to understand
Parasuram’s this scale,” she says.
Though Akhila made her way to films via IG Reels, and has since acted in Poovan and Ayalvaashi, it is Premalu which catapulted her to fame.
Akhila is one of those actors in Malayalam who made their way to the film industry with content on Instagram. It was Instagram Reels (ar_reels which she runs with husband Rahul PP) and her first short film, Anurag Engineering Works (AEW) by Premalu cowriter Anurag Josey, that got her the first feature role in Poovan, directed by AEW coactor Vineeth Vasudevan.
“When I started making those IG Reels, I was doing it out of a love of acting. Did I think I would get to act in a movie? No, not until Anurag Engineering Works.”
Gireesh too was familiar with her IG content when she was asked to audition for Karthika’s role.
Varied roles have been coming her way “and, fortunately, the films have been doing well, which works for me!”
The actor holds a postgraduate degree in Microbiology. Right now she is in talks for future projects, none of which she can reveal.
So, does she get the time to post Reels as before? “Yes, of course, I do. I enjoy making and posting them, and will continue to do so.”
TMiddle class memories Family Star is billed as a film set in a middleclass milieu. Having grown up in a middleclass setting, did Vijay rely on his muscle memory of reallife observations to play the character with added familiarity and authenticity? “Certainly. Bujji (Parasuram) and I know how boys from middleclass
families
The next few years are going to be physically challenging, with films in different time periods. I will sport different looks and speak different accents
wo friends with stardust in their eyes travel from Kerala to Madras, the Mecca of filmmaking in the Seventies.
Malayalam film Varshangalkku Shesham, written and directed by Vineeth Sreenivasan, trails the two as they travel from Kozhikode to Madras, hoping to make a mark in cinema. Reaching theatres on April 11, the film is about their struggle and success as they follow their heart.
Kodambakkam tales Varshangalkku Shesham zooms into Kodambakkam through the lives of Venu and Murali, essayed by Dhyan Sreenivasan and Pranav Mohanlal respectively. “One dreams of making it big in cinema while the other has his own plans. Murali motivates Venu to go to Madras. What happens to those friends is the story of Varshangalkku
Shesham. Covering five decades, the film throws light on cinema by charting the lives of the two,” says Vineeth.
Since Vineeth’s father, actorwriterdirector Sreenivasan, had made the same journey from Kerala in the Seventies, the question follows whether it is based on his tryst with cinema.
“Not completely. I have listened to his stories about his early life in Madras and also the experiences of many of his contemporaries in cinema. During my school days, I used to be an ardent reader of