Vijay Deverakonda on Kushi: I feel responsible for Samantha’s happiness

Kushi, the relationship drama starring Vijay Deverakonda, Samantha, is gearing up for a release on September 1. Written and directed by Shiva Nirvana, the film is produced by Mythri Movie Makers and has music by Hesham Abdul Wahab. The makers organised a special concert night, where musicians performed the numbers from Kushi in the presence of the cast, crew.

At the event, Vijay Deverakonda promised to spread ‘Kushi’ across languages and various parts of the globe on September 1. “I don’t remember when have I last delivered a film that has made you happy. This has been a long time due. During the post production, Shiva Nirvana has been single-mindedly working on the film with an intention to bring a smile to my face,” he said.

Vijay shared that he could sense the love my director has for him and the film; he needn’t put it to words - you’ll feel it better on the release day, he added. More than anyone else, he stated that he feels responsible for seeing happiness on Samantha’s face. “It’s hard to describe the efforts that she has put into the film. We started it in April 2022 cheerfully and finished 60-65% of the shoot and were only 35 days away from completion.”

When Samantha faced a health setback in July, she still was glowing and looked beautiful, he opined. She took three days to return to normalcy but the problem kept recurring. She saw it was her responsibility to educate crowds about her illness and proved it was possible to bounce back to work, Vijay stated. He called her an inspiration to many who shows up, pushes her limits for the team in the need of the hour.

Shiva Nirvana reportedly narrated the script back during Dear Comrade. He had purposely delayed it because of his reluctance to take up love stories. Though many actors approached him, Shiva was adamant about making the film with Vijay. Despite many hassles during shoot, Vijay told he could never notice any frustration in Shiva’s face. He praised Murali, the film’s cinematographer, who worked on the same project for one and half years with commitment.

Hesham Abdul Wahab scored a blockbuster with his very first Malayalam film and is getting great reactions from Telugu crowds too, Vijay said. He added that his fans and audiences are the most important to him and expressed his gratitude for supporting him despite success or failure. “People, situations around me have changed, but your love has been consistent. I want smiles on your face on September 1. I don’t need anything else.”