Vijay Deverakonda spoke about why he chose not to judge his character in the film "Arjun Reddy" in this 2022 interview. Today, he is celebrating his 34th birthday.
🎥: Disney+ Hotstar
🎥: Disney+ Hotstar
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00:00Vijay, Arjun Reddy was a massive, massive success.
00:03But there was a lot of criticism.
00:05I didn't find it misogynistic.
00:07I understood why he behaved the way he did
00:09and the relationship he had with Preeti.
00:11If I had to ask you, your status would be?
00:13I have a really good relationship.
00:23I like that girl.
00:31Vijay, Arjun Reddy was a massive, massive success.
00:34It had a lot of cult love.
00:35It was remade into Kabir Singh.
00:37Massive, massive hit.
00:39But there was a lot of criticism
00:41for the misogyny of the film.
00:43There was a lot of talk about the sexism.
00:45You know, it was an anti-feminist film.
00:49What is your take on this?
00:50My job is to empathize with the character and not judge him.
00:54Like, if I'm judging someone,
00:56I'm judging them because I'm a feminist.
00:59Like, if I'm judging him, I can't play him.
01:01Any role that's brought to me,
01:03I try and empathize with him.
01:05And if I can, I take that role.
01:07If something about it is very conflicting
01:09and I don't understand it,
01:11or I don't agree with it, I won't do it.
01:13So, if I did Arjun Reddy, I empathized with him.
01:15I understood why he behaved the way he did
01:17and the relationship he had with Preeti.
01:19I didn't find it misogynistic
01:21or anti-feministic or something.
01:25It seemed like two people who had a very unique relationship.
01:29That was their relationship.
01:30And to them, it was love.
01:32But is it okay for Arjun Reddy to raise his hand on her?
01:36I'm no one to say if it's right or wrong,
01:39but they too did it.
01:40And they had a happily ever after life.
01:43And they had a kid. You see the movie ending with a kid.
01:46But I'm not saying that nobody should have a problem with it.
01:49You should have a problem with it.
01:50Imagine you've been in a relationship which was abusive.
01:54And then you see this film.
01:55It's painful to watch this happening on screen.
01:58These are your worst nightmares as a woman,
02:00as a wife or as a girlfriend.
02:02And you see it playing out on screen.
02:04You'll fucking hate it.
02:05And I understand that you disagree with it
02:07and I respect that you don't like it.
02:10But you looked at it as you were portraying a character.
02:12Yeah, I looked at it.
02:13And you removed your own personal beliefs
02:15and played that character.
02:16And I played that.
02:17Because Vijay Devarkonda would never be an Arjun Reddy.
02:19I would never raise my hand
02:21if it reaches a point where I feel such anger
02:25towards a woman, I will walk out.
02:26Tell us two scandalous lies and one scandalous truth
02:29about yourself without telling which is which.
02:31I really want to be a one woman man for life.
02:36I think I have just like five, six movies in me before I quit.
02:41Okay.
02:42I hope that's a lie.
02:44I have no fucking clue who I am.
02:46That's the truth.
02:46If I had to ask you, your status would be?
02:49I'm happy in life.
02:51I don't mean your emotional status.
02:53I meant your relationship status.
02:55I have a really good relationship with my parents.
02:58I have a really good relationship with my director.
03:00Your dog.
03:00I love Puri. I love my dog.
03:01Your last relationship. Your last one.
03:03What do you love?
03:04Your last one. I just want to know.
03:05Complicated, single, dating.
03:08Like someday I'll be married and I'll want to have kids.
03:11That day I will say it out.