Nobody will open doors for you; you’ve got to break them down to seize opportunities: Vijay Deverakonda

All roads led to Jubilee Hills on Sunday as in a first-of-its kind initiative, actor Vijay Deverakonda threw a sundowner party for ‘Rowdies’ at a posh pub. The fans, who are a part of the Arjun Reddy star’s ‘Rowdy Club’, gathered in large numbers to catch a glimpse of their favourite star. Vijay, who had won the Filmfare Award for Best Actor for his performance in Arjun Reddy, finally gave away his award to Shakuntala Divi of Divi Laboratories for Rs 25 Lakh, which he will donate to the Chief Minister’s Relief Fund.

“I said that I wanted to auction the award but when Shakuntala garu came forward, I decided to drop all such ideas and give it to her. There’s no other place I’d rather see my award go to and I’m thrilled to see Divi Laboratories come forward and support this cause,” Vijay said.

The actor, who is currently gearing up for his film Geetha Govindam, admitted that he didn’t expect so much money for the award.
“I had signed Arjun Reddy for Rs 5 Lakh so when people asked me how much I can expect for the award, I was expecting an amount in that range. In fact, when people offered me Rs 7 to 8 lakhs, I was surprised, but then Shakuntala and her husband, Kiran offered to out-buy them all with Rs 25 lakh,” the he shared.

It was also an experience like no other at an event organised by a film star as Vijay gave his fans everything a sundowner promises, with live music, parkour and b-boying performances that had the crowd whistling in delight. He also launched his own Rowdy anthem titled ‘I am the Rowdy You’, and unveiled a Rowdy app for his fans, where they can interact with him and get exclusive prizes.

Explaining why he calls his fans ‘Rowdies’, Vijay said, “Rowdy here means to be confident and believe in yourself, and seize the opportunities that life presents you. Evaru Talupulu theesi avakasalu ivvaru…thalupulu baddala kotti vellali (Nobody will open doors for you and offer you a red carpet, we have to break the door to seize the opportunities).”

“Konni saarlu baddalu kottadaaniki kuda thalupulu undavu..appudu sanduloki doori vellali (Sometimes, there aren’t even doors to break down, then you have to find a lane and manoeuvre yourself to go through). That’s what I have done and that’s what I want all of you to do, and that’s why I call you Rowdies,” he added.