Vinay Rajkumar: City Lights is different from the usual Duniya Vijay directorials, but still high on entertainment

Duniya Vijay’s next directorial, City Lights, introduces one of his daughters, Monisha with the screen name Rithnya. She is paired opposite Vinay Rajkumar, who has often been hailed for his unique script and role selection. “I have been following Duniya Vijay’s work as an actor for a while, and then, when he turned director too, and noticed that his brand of cinema has all the elements that are required for a complete entertainer, whether it is action, songs, love, drama, dialogues, etc. He has the perfect mix of what a good film needs. So, when he offered me a role in City Lights, I was happy to take it up,” says the actor, speaking to National TV.

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This is Vijay’s third directorial, after Salaga and Bheema, but first in which he is not playing the lead. This time around, Vinay says that the characterization is a lot different from Vijay’s usual gangsters in the Bengaluru underworld, but it will not be lacking in entertainment. The actor-filmmaker, says Vinay, is introducing a bunch of new characters in the film, while the story has a social message as well. Speaking at the film’s first press meet, Vinay said that the film revolves his character and what happens to him when he comes to Bengaluru.

While Vinay is not at liberty to discuss the role in detail, he does say that it is highly relatable. But what appealed to him is that the role has a certain gravitas and is performance-oriented. As for his leading lady, Vinay says that Rithnya is not only apt for the character that her father has written for her, but has also come well prepared to face the camera.

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Meanwhile, Vinay was last seen onscreen in Pepe, a film that was thought would be a game changer for the actor, but turned out to be a damp squib. Has he introspected and figured out what went wrong? “When a film doesn’t work well at the box office, it does not mean that we’ve gone wrong in presentation. There are a lot of factors that affect a film’s performance in theatres, including the time at which it is released, the marketing and promotions, etc. Pepe was not written off outright; some people did like the film and did not think anything was wrong with it,” he says.