Rippan Swaamy’s Vijay Raghavendra: I’ve realized that I can never do what Sriimurali does onscreen

In his over two decade-long career as a leading man, Kannada actor Vijay Raghavendra has had some ups and more lows, a time in which he’s had several realizations about what works for him as an artiste, The actor, who is currently promoting his next, a suspense thriller called Rippan Swaamy, which releases on August 29, reminisced about his early days as an actor and how that shaped his filmography later on.

Speaking to Metrosaga, Vijay Raghavendra said that in the first 10 years of his career, he steadfastly followed a diktat his father had given him – to never interfere in the filmmaking process. “My father said that the director would have clarity about the subject and the producer about why he’d cast me, so all that I had to do was report to set and do what was asked of me. I followed this for 10 years, without ever interfering, only to realize that I should have involved myself more,” said the actor.

Vijay Raghavendra: I don't have mass style and aura

In the process, Vijay says that the experiences told him what works for him and what doesn’t as an artiste, and not in terms of the commercial viability of a film. The actor says that he figured that audiences like it if he laughs, cries, romances, and exhibits some level of anger and urge to fight back, but not to the level of brandishing a machete, and mouthing punch lines. “Simply put, Vijay Raghavendra can not be Sriimurali. I can never do what my brother does onscreen, like, for instance, in Ugramm. Actors like Shivarajkumar, Sudeep, Yash, etc., have a certain mass style and aura. I don’t have that,” he says candidly.

Also read: Vijay Raghavendra - Winning Bigg Boss Kannada did not benefit my career 

As an actor who has done a wide variety of roles, Vijay reckons that audiences want to see him in different characters. This, he says, is something that filmmakers these days have also realized and have begun listening to him too about the kind of roles that will suit him, which reflects in his more recent filmography. One genre that he appears to be favouring is thrillers, but in films made on moderate budgets. This, he explains is because he’s not seen the kind of commercial success in his career to warrant a big-budget film. Filmmaking, he adds, is a gamble, but for him, the stakes should be low.

FAQs

Q. How is Vijay Raghavendra related to the Rajkumar family?

A. Vijay Raghavendra's father, Chinne Gowda, is the brother of Dr Rajkumar's wife, Parvathamma. He and his brother Sriimurali are cousins to actors Shivarajkumar, late Puneeth Rajkumar and Raghavendra Rajkumar. 

Q. What happened to Vijay Raghavendra's wife, Spandana?

A. Vijay Raghavendra's wife Spandana succumbed to a heart attack while on holiday with her pals in Bangkok in November 2023. Vijay was not with her at the time of her demise, as he was in the midst of a film shoot.