Vijay Deverakonda says rise in action, gore is due to audience becoming 'desensitised’

Vijay Deverakonda talked about the pressure on actors to choose scripts that give them a shot at ₹1000 crore success.

With Indian cinema increasingly dominated by high-stakes spectacles, actor Vijay Deverakonda has weighed in on the changing trends in the industry. In an interview with The Hollywood Reporter India, Vijay reflected on the lack of emotionally resonant films and spoke about audiences becoming desensitised to emotions.

Vijay Deverakonda talks about gore, violence and action in films.

Vijay Deverakonda on actor's facing pressure while selecting scripts

Speaking about the lack of films that make people smile, Vijay addressed whether male stars face pressure to pick scripts that give them a shot at ₹1000 crore success. He said, "Yes, definitely you want to grow, you want the maximum number of people to enjoy your films. We don't get pleasure out of a small, well-appreciated film. I don't know many who do. That already starts limiting [choices] because you need to pick a certain kind of film. Our budgets and remunerations have increased, and also what's happening is that I have a feeling we are getting more and more desensitised to emotions because of the surplus content. We need to keep upping the stakes to make people feel something."

Vijay Deverakonda on heroism turning into an antagonist form

He added, "I think that’s why heroism is turning into an almost antagonist form of heroism; the action is becoming really gory. You have to stimulate things to push buttons harder. I think we are getting desensitised to everything because of so much stimulation. You are being stimulated to such a high level that you need to up the stakes to keep people's attention. You have to keep upping the ante. Otherwise, why do we have to do so much gore and action? Like, you open any platform and the amount of flesh and skin I am seeing is on another level."

He further added that after a certain point, this would start to feel normal, and viewers would seek even more stimulation. He said that, as an actor, one needs to ensure that the script is engaging enough, as it has become increasingly challenging to hold the audience’s attention on screen.

Vijay Deverakonda’s upcoming film

Vijay will next be seen in Kingdom, touted as a spy action thriller. The promo, which released on 7 July, initially shows Vijay as a police officer, but later reveals him as a prisoner fighting for survival in a cell. The action-packed preview impressed fans. The film, which also stars Satyadev and Bhagyashri Borse, is the first instalment of a planned duology. Directed by Gowtam Tinnanuri with music by Anirudh Ravichander, Kingdom is scheduled for release in cinemas on July 31.