Gone are the days when Tamil, Telugu and even Malayalam actors ran after success in Bollywood, only to be signed, sealed and snubbed there. Even the greats like Shivaji Ganesan, Kamal Haasan, Rajinikanth, Mohanlal, Chiranjeevi and Nagarjuna were not spared. After attempting to find a footing in Bollywood these legends scampered back to home turf.
The only superstar of the South Indian film industry who refused to bite the Bollywood bait was Mahesh Babu. And now, Vijay Deverakonda, who is seen by many as the successor of Mahesh Babu, is following in his senior’s footsteps.
Vijay, who has had spectacular run at the Telugu box-office in 2018 has just turned a plum role in the Hindi film ’83, being directed by Kabir Khan. It features Ranveer Singh as Kapil Dev and recreates the events leading up to India’s victory in the Cricket World Cup in 1983.
Devarakonda was offered the role of Krishnamachari Srikkanth, an offer politely declined by the actor.
Says a source close to Vijay, “Right now the actor is very busy with his commitments in Telugu industry. Vijay is of course looking forward to a Hindi film debut. But not in a film that already stars Ranveer Singh. No prizes for guessing who would have the most important role in the film.”
