Liger: All eyes on Vijay Deverakonda and Puri Jagannadh to deliver

With film having a Thursday release, good word of mouth may give it an advantage with an extended weekend

Vijay Deverakonda and Ananya Panday

One of the most crucial weekends in the career of actor Vijay Deverakonda is here. He will be seen on the big-screen with Liger, two years after his previous release World Famous Lover. Liger is the first pan-Indian film for the actor and also its director Puri Jagannadh. Simultaneously made in Hindi and Telugu, the film will have a simultaneous release in five languages on August 25.

There’s immense pressure on team Liger to deliver and spring back hope in Hindi cinema that’s going through one of its darkest phases since its inception. With the extravagant promotions across the country, the team has proved there’s enough hype for the film to open big. Liger also marks the Indian cinema debut for sporting legend Mike Tyson and the Telugu debut for Ananya Panday.

In times when Hindi audiences are increasingly craving masala potboilers, going by the success of films like Pushpa, KGF2, RRR and Bhool Bhulaiyaa, the release timing of Liger is just perfect. When most Bollywood stars are keeping mum about the cancel culture on social media, Vijay has also been a rare fearless voice who has stood up for the fraternity and rightly gave it back to trolls.

Back in Telugu cinema, the situation is slightly different. Audiences are no longer seeking the regular, vanilla mainstream narratives - Bimbisara, Sita Ramam and Karthikeya 2 proves their hunger for variety. While there are reports that Liger’s plot may resemble Amma Nanna O Tamil Ammayi, the record advance booking numbers indicate the curiosity around it.

The success of Liger is important from an industry perspective. Apart from Nani, Vijay Deverakonda is the only source of inspiration/hope for all the aspirants wanting to make it big in showbiz. Vijay’s acceptance on a national level will assert that it’s okay to be yourself, work hard, dream big, be confident and still deliver results. ‘We’ll shake the country on August 25,” Vijay said. We’re waiting!

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