Kannada superstar Vijay Raghavendra, who was recently present at the IIFA Utsavam press conference held in Hyderabad, speaks exclusively with The Pioneer about hosting IIFA 2024, his craft and deets about his upcoming projects
Aarti Sreenath
Anticipation soared to unprecedented levels as the global festivities of IIFA Utsavam kicked off with a grand official India Press Conference at Novotel in Hyderabad. It set the stage for the highly anticipated two-day extravaganza, which is all set to celebrate the achievements of South Indian cinema and honour the vibrant Tamil, Telugu, Malayalam and Kannada film industry cinematic luminaries.
The event was attended by a glittering array of celebs from South India, including Rana Daggubati, Rockstar DSP, Vijay Raghavendra, Teja Sajja, Raashi Khanna, Sreeleela, Pearle Maaney, Pragya Jaiswal, Malashree Ramanna, Aradhana Ram, Sudhev Nair, Simran Rishi Bagga, Resul Pookutty and Kushboo.
The Pioneer had the exclusive opportunity to sit down with Kannada superstar Vijay Raghavendra. In our interaction, Vijay shared insights into his illustrious career and his thoughts on the evolving landscape of Kannada. Vijay Raghavendra, a.k.a. Chinnari Mutha, is a prominent Kannada actor known for his versatility and talent. He started his career as a child artist, also crediting a National Award for his performance in Kotreshi Kanasu.
Raghavendra continues to shine in Kannada cinema and recently took part in a press conference for the IIFA Utsavam 2024. He will also be hosting IIFA 2024 for the Kannada audience. When asked about his thoughts on being a part of IIFA Utsavam this year, Vijay’s enthusiasm was palpable. “The most important thing is the uniting of all of us across the nation, irrespective of the region and language. All the superstars meet at a place to become just actors; they come down to become friends in one common place, looking up to each other and appreciating each other. I think IIFA is all about celebration. The very word ‘Utsavam’ means celebration.” Reflecting on his beginnings in Kannada cinema and what inspired him to pursue acting, the Kadda Chithra actor shared, “I come from a cinema family. Dr. Rajkumar being my uncle, I spent my childhood watching his films and going to his shoots. By the time I finished my B.Com, I knew I had to pursue my career in acting. I did my acting course in Chennai and was fortunate to get the role in the remake of a Telugu film Nuvve Kavali. In Kannada, it was called Ninagagi, which was a huge success. From then on, there’s been no looking back. I’ve been getting good roles. No doubt the career graph has been erratic at times, but I’ve learned a lot.”
When inquired about how IIFA influences and the global perception of Indian cinema, particularly Kannada films, Vijay credited the recent successes for the shift.
“These days, from the past two to three years, thanks to movies like KGF and Kantara, also thanks to the producers and makers who made it possible. The world today recognises Kannada cinema as Indian cinema. That’s a huge link to us, belonging to the film fraternity.”
As an actor in the Kannada region, Vijay expressed his pride in the recognition of regional cinema on international platforms like IIFA. “We feel proud. We are getting to the place where we actually belong, where our stories deserve to be told globally. People are drawing inspiration from Kannada films, like they were 25–30 years ago. Something was missing in between, but now we are getting the hang of it and we are able to collaborate with other actors coming to Kannada and working with us, appreciating the talent down here.” On the topic of how events like IIFA can help evolve Kannada cinema on a global scale, Vijay emphasised the importance of evolution.
“It has to evolve; the process is always there. Evolution has always been a part of our nature. When cinema evolves, it also means that people are evolving with it, along with the audience. The audience is ready to receive content because they get to see a good story, irrespective of the language. Thanks to platforms like OTT and events like IIFA, bringing them all together, celebrating and showcasing them in a way that the entire world gets to see them on one platform. This becomes a very important part of the evolution of cinema.”
Discussing the challenges he faced while preparing for roles, the Marichi actor highlighted a recent experience. “There is one called Rippen Swamy, which is getting ready for release. I’m playing a totally negative role. The audience have never seen me in a negative role. It’s something I’m looking forward to and to stretch myself as an actor. In this film, I play the character of a cop, a character that I have never played. When I got the opportunity, it was challenging—looking like a cop to an extent but convincing the audience that a police officer is actually emoting particular scenes, was the toughest part. It requires a lot of observation. I had to observe people and listen to their experiences. My father-in-law is a retired ACP and I heard stories from him. I had to add a pinch of myself to the character, in a very subtle way.”
Regarding future roles, Vijay shared his passion for intense and relatable characters. “I have always loved to play intense roles—roles that people connect to easily, roles that have the capacity to convey something to people without actually preaching. That is something I would love to do.”
When asked about films that influenced him, Vijay mentioned Bangaarada Manushya. “It was directed by S. Siddalingaiah sir, decades ago. Such films could be called a mass success or commercial success because, when we preach in a film that it’s appreciated; it’s when we emote and the message is conveyed and received by the audience. Right from the front-seat audience to the highest-placed person in society, everybody’s family got to watch that film and got influenced by its quality and narration. That has influenced me as an audience and my perception of cinema.” As we went ahead in this chat, the Raaghu actor went on to discuss his desired directors, he looks forward to work with. “I’m a greedy person; three would definitely not be enough. There’s always Mani Ratnam sir. I would like to work with Pradeep Ranganathan, the Love Today filmmaker and we have fantastic directors in Kannada too. I would love to work with Rishab Shetty sir.”
As he continues to take on challenging roles and push the boundaries of regional cinema, audiences can look forward to more stellar performances from this beloved actor.
Meanwhile, the IIFA Utsavam continues to be a celebration for Indian cinema, providing a grand platform that not only honors the achievements of the South Indian film industry but also unites actors and filmmakers from various regions under one roof.
