Exclusive! Vinay Rajkumar – I’m not averse to commercial cinema, but it has to have a great storyline

Vinay Rajkumar will complete a decade in cinema this year a time in which he’s only gotten to his fifth release with this week’s Ondu Sarala Prema Kathe. While his films so far have not been great commercial successes, one thing that has always stood out and what audiences have also pointed out is that his script selection is not like that of a typical star kid. So far, Vinay has not been drawn to the routine masala films that follow a set pattern and he has gone on record to state that he’d rather be known as an actor than a star.

Exclusive! Vinay Rajkumar – Ondu Sarala Prema Kathe is a musical love story that’s fun and relatable 

In fact, Ondu Sarala Prema Kathe is also a rom-com, while one of his upcoming films Andonditu Kaala has him as an assistant director. Pepe and Gramayana, he says, are the two films that are closer to the ‘commercial film’ category. Given that his brother, Yuva Rajkumar will soon get his big massy debut with Yuva, isn’t Vinay drawn to that kind of cinema?

“I enjoy watching such films, and I am not entirely averse to the genre, but if I were to do something like that, it would have to be striking and have a great storyline. My definition of a commercial film is an entertainer and that can be done without too many massy elements and ensuring there is a good story. I’d prefer a middle ground, like, say, in my films Pepe and Gramayana, which have ‘elevations’ for the character, but not in the superficial self-praising style that is common in regular mass entertainers,” says Vinay.

Vinay Rajkumar on his choice of films: Never seen myself wanting to be a star 

For someone who has been in the industry for a decade, Vinay’s career is going rather slow. Other than Ondu Sarala Prema Kathe, he haasn’t really signed anything new in a while. “There are a lot of variables that come into play in making movie and I admit that my films in recent years have taken time. Ondu Sarala Prema Kathe, in that sense, was the fastest. Andonditu Kaala and Pepe are ready for release, something that is hard to plan given the sheer number of films hitting theatres week-on-week. Timing is crucial for these films and I don’t mind waiting. As of now, both Andonditu Kaala and Pepe should be in theatres by, say, May or June,” Vinay signs off.