It is very rare in the film industry for a hero to achieve stardom almost overnight. But Vijay Deverakonda, who came into the industry without any background, made the entire country take notice of him within just three years. Starting with Pelli Choopulu, creating a sensation with Arjun Reddy, and then entering the ₹100 crore club with Geetha Govindam, the Rowdy Star’s journey remains one of the biggest success stories in the history of Tollywood.
Back then, the craze among youngsters whenever a Vijay Deverakonda film was about to release was something else. However, that same stardom is now facing its biggest test. A series of failures at the box office has had a serious impact on his market past 8 years.
The year 2018 was like a golden period in Vijay Deverakonda’s career. Geetha Govindam became a blockbuster, while Taxiwala, which released soon after, also turned out to be a super hit. With back-to-back successes, Vijay established himself as an undisputed star. From there, his market continued to grow rapidly.
However, things changed unexpectedly, and a series of failures followed. Dear Comrade, which was made with huge expectations, received appreciation for its content but could not achieve the expected success at the box office.
His next film, World Famous Lover, turned out to be a disaster and left his fans deeply disappointed. Then came Puri Jagannadh’s Liger, which Vijay took up with the ambition of expanding his craze across the country. The film created significant buzz nationwide, and the crowds that turned up to see Vijay in cities like Mumbai and Delhi even surprised trade circles. But once the film hit theatres, the result was a complete disappointment, with Liger ending up as a box-office failure.
After that, the romantic drama Khushi, directed by Shiva Nirvana, gave Vijay some relief. However, it could not be considered a proper commercial hit for him. Soon after, The Family Star, released under the Sri Venkateswara Creations banner, failed to impress the audience and ended up as another flop.
Even the big-budget Kingdom failed to deliver the expected result, putting Vijay Deverakonda’s market under further pressure. After Taxiwala in 2018, it has now been almost 8 years since Vijay delivered a proper, solid commercial success.
In this situation, Ranabaali, which is set to hit the theatres on October 16, has become a crucial film for Vijay Deverakonda’s career.
What kind of result Ranabaali will achieve at the box office has now become a hot topic in the industry. Vijay Deverakonda’s stardom and fan base have not disappeared. However, the lack of the right story and a strong commercial success has put his market under serious pressure.
Now, Ranabaali appears to be the biggest opportunity to end this eight-year wait for a solid commercial success. Vijay Deverakonda has always said one thing — no matter what happens, he will come back.
Now is the time to prove those words once again.
Rahul Sankrityayan, who last gave Vijay a hit with ‘Taxiwala’, is the director of this film, and this is the first film he is acting with his wife Rashmika after marriage. There are huge expectations on ‘Ranbaali’. Whether Ranabaali will emerge as a grand success and bring back Vijay Deverakonda’s former glory remains to be seen. The answer will be known once the film hits the theatres on October 16.
