Shouldering a legacy

He is the third generation of a family of actors that can be easily called the first family of the Kannada film industry. As I catch up with Vinay Rajkumar, I find out that he is not only carrying the weight of this responsibility on his able shoulders, but is also extremely approachable and has no airs of belonging to a superstar family.

For the uninitiated, Vinay is the grandson of Rajkumar, son of actor and film producer Raghavendra Rajkumar, and nephew of actors Shiva Rajkumar and Puneeth Rajkumar. Naturally, growing up, he was surrounded by everything related to movies. “I have always been inspired by films. Although I did a few small parts as a child actor, I got busy with my education without giving much thought to acting. However, after completing my Bachelors of Commerce degree, I decided to start working towards becoming an actor. So I started visiting movie sets, assisting my father for two films, and attending acting workshops. I also did a few plays, took up dancing and fighting lessons, and hit the gym.” Armed with the right skills, Vinay went on to sign his debut movie, Prakash’s Siddhartha. “Siddartha was a film about today’s youth and I could easily relate to my character of  a college student. I was also convinced that the film will appeal to youngsters.” And sure enough, the film earned appreciation from the masses and critics alike.

Handling pressure
When asked if it is easy being a star kid and handling the pressue of expectations, Vinay says, “To be honest, there are pros and cons. We also have a lot of pressure as most people don’t see us as debutants. We are already expected to be the best and that makes us work harder. In fact, even while I was shooting, a lot of people would gather to see how I was performing. Pressure is always there, but with my family’s support, I could manage.”

The youngster is currently busy working on his second film Run Antony, a film which has been kept under wraps, but he reveals little when I ask him about the movie. “We are done with the shooting and the movie would likely release this summer. It is a love story with a thriller backdrop and it is a new genre in Kannada movies. It is being helmed by a debutant director, so the filmmaking style is different.”

Vinay believes in working on one film at a time. In fact, after his first film, Vinay attended a course at Anupam Kher’s acting school. “I wanted to go to Mumbai and live on my own and explore my potential. The training helped me improve my acting and better my craft.”

In love with films
Being in a creative field, Vinay has learnt to deal with media scrutiny and admits that he has not been at the receiving end. “I always oblige my fans for a picture, and likewise, they are also understanding. Thankfully, the media has also been good to me.” I ask him if he would like to try his hand at singing like his uncles and grandfather, and he says, “I would like to, in the future, but now I would rather concentrate on acting.” The actor is also active on the social media and says that it is the best way to connect with the fans.

Though Vinay is a new actor, he is clear that his focus is Sandalwood and wants to focus on doing Kannada movies. In his free time, he loves to watch films. “When I have a day off, all I want to do is watch a film in the theatre. I don’t like watching films at home.” Here’s wishing this young actor a great innings.