Vijay Deverakonda: I don’t even know if I want to be remembered

After Vijay Deverakonda retires from acting, he wants to spend time with his kids, grandkids and friends. Legacy of being a star, the actor says, will be the last thing on his mind. Deverakonda has been in the industry for a decade and has few hits under his belt, including the 2017 blockbuster Arjun Reddy.
But the actor is nonchalant about the baggage of future. He is not sure how he would like to be known when he retires from acting and wonders, if he even wants to be remembered at all. In an interview with Galatta Plus, Deverakonda said, “I don’t even know if I want to be remembered.
“While I am an actor, it is important that people recognise and love you for it. Once I am done, I move on, and they move on to the next. I am sure there will be another person. There are lots of other people who come who are really good. I think I should vacate space so that you make space for others to be loved and worshipped,” he added.

Vijay Deverakonda, known for starring in films like Dear Comrade and World Famous Lover, says he will switch back to a life of not being under the public eye with ease. The clarity about dealing with the impeding future, Deverakonda says, comes from the fact that everyone, including the biggest of movie stars, is eventually forgotten.
“I will go back to my life, hopefully chilling with some kids, grandkids and friends. I hope they are still around and we are still playing board games over drinks. I am not fascinated being remembered. I am very happy being forgotten.
“I have understood that nobody remembers. I have known actors who are worshipped the country. Rajesh Khanna, Vinod Khanna, I have heard stories. But me and the generation after are not aware of this or don’t care. For them, now it is about somebody else,” he said.
While retirement is a long way ahead, the actor is currently excited for the release of his next film, Liger, which opens in cinemas on August 26. Directed Puri Jagannadh, the film features him as an MMA fighter. Liger, shot simultaneously in Hindi and Telugu, marks his Bollywood debut.
Vijay Deverakonda says Liger is “completely” his kind of film. “I like flawed characters. His journey was just amazing. Every scene worked for me. After a long time I got a film that I completely relished sinking my teeth in,” the actor said.
Liger also stars Ananya Panday, Ronit Roy and Ramya Krishna in pivotal roles. The film also features American boxer Mike Tyson in an extended cameo.