Exclusive! Grateful to be a part of #NBK107, which will open doors for me in Tollywood: Duniya Vijay

Back in early November, we had told you that Duniya Vijay, who was basking in the success of his directorial debut Salaga at the time, had been signed up as the villain for Nandamuri Balakrishna’s next, which was dubbed #NBK107, as it is the actor’s 107th film. Vijay had confirmed the development then, but refrained from speaking about it, as the film team had not made an official announcement.

Earlier today, Vijay shared the poster that the makers, Mythri Movie Makers, shared to welcome him onboard #NBK107. “I am immensely grateful to the team, Mythri Movie Makers and director Gopichand Mallineni for considering me for the role. Not even in my wildest dreams did I think that a day like this would come when filmmakers across the border take note of my talent and come calling. It’s an honour to be a part of this mega project,” says Vijay, adding that he had no second thoughts when the offer came and agreed to be a part of it immediately. The actor is expected to join the set of #NBK107 in mid-January, where he will shoot for it over the next four months, provided the pandemic does not go out of control again.

After all these years in the industry and having made a name for himself in Kannada cinema, didn’t he want a debut in Tollywood as a leading man? “It’s not easy to move to another industry and do, say, a straight Telugu film; it’s as good as starting off as a newbie there. Instead, the better option would be to take my Kannada films, there, either in the original language or as a dubbed version, and, in the process, let audiences know of my career trajectory. Right now, the better option for me is to make baby steps in this industry with prestigious projects like #NBK107 and then hope to build an audience, which I can capitalize on when I bring my Kannada films to that market, #NBK107 will open doors for me in Tollywood,” says Vijay.

So, what’s happening back home? Although it was rumoured that Vijay would begin working on another Kannada directorial after the success of Salaga, the actor says that his next commitment is #NBK107. “I have been on the lookout for a good subject to act in. Direction is on hold for now; it’s a time-consuming process, so it will happen later,” he says. What about a sequel to Salaga? “I like the idea, but I am not sure if I will do it. The original was good, so the sequel will have to be better or at least live up to the first film, which is a big responsibility,” he signs off.