The Very Dynamic Vijay Deverakonda

The unique selling proposition of the Telugu film industry, apart from the uber-stylish entries and unconventional content — is flying cars, one-man-army-ish protagonist, great style, humongous budgets, larger than life stories and dynasty-actors.

It is an arduous task for any new actor to enter, emerge, and excel in the industry in a short window of time. One exception being, Vijay Deverakonda who’s not only strived but thrived. A superstar’s career is about risks, several misses, a few mass hits, controversy, some chances, a lot of hard work, and mainly acting. From auctioning off his first best actor trophy, to fluently speaking a three-page dialogue in a single take; in a language, he knew zilch of. This young and dynamic actor has surprised everyone with his bold choices, an ode to perfection, devil-may-care attitude, good looks sprinkled with an unmissable X-factor. Here’s Vijay Deverakonda for you.

VD, as he is extensively known down south, was born on May 9, 1989 to Telugu television personality, Deverakonda Govardhan Rao and Deverakonda Madhavi in Achampet, Nagarkurnool district of Telangana (formerly Andhra Pradesh). As many would wrongly perceive, it was not an obvious decision for Deverakonda to step into films, and neither was his journey to stardom.

Growing up in a residential school in Puttaparthi — a small town in Andhra Pradesh, and then heading to Hyderabad for higher studies was a ‘culture shock’ to him. Even taking a bus to college was a challenge when he first moved to Hyderabad. The polite boy who enjoyed his smooth sailing life, had to unlearn a few things and sometimes learn to change his ways to ‘get things done’. Having studied in an English-medium boarding school, he knew very little Telugu. To avoid getting ragged at the college for the same, he presented himself as a Tulu speaking Mangalorean; a lie he came about only after confirming there were no Tulu-speaking students in the campus. It took him almost two years to adapt to the vibe of Hyderabad. But it was this city that introduced him to the theatre and brought him the stardom he has today.