Vijay Deverakonda Defends Liger Despite Box Office Failure, Calls It a 'Terrific' Script

Vijay Deverakonda and Ananya Panday starrer Liger was one of the most awaited movies. However, when it hit theatres in August last year, it left the audience disappointed. The film also failed to leave a mark at the box office. A year after Liger, Vijay Deverakonda is currently gearing up for the release of his upcoming movie Kushi. In a recent interview, the actor defended Liger and shared that even though all movies he has done so far had ‘terrific’ scripts, some of them did not go as planned.

“I know people won’t accept this statement, but honestly, I believe every script that I’ve chosen was terrific. It was the execution that didn’t go as planned. For instance, an inside joke between friends wouldn’t translate well to others if the delivery and timing weren’t on point. That’s exactly what happened with films like Liger, NOTA, and even Dear Comrade,” Vijay said during a conversation with Cinema Express.

“I might have done things differently, for sure, including different strategies for promotions. Every story I picked could have been huge, but it just didn’t happen,” the actor added.

The 34-year-old actor further talked about the ’emotional pressure’ he feels with each of his films and shared, “With every film I do, there’s a sense of emotional pressure because those who believe in my cinema want me to succeed. Of course, there’s the pressure of business too. I own a theatre and I know how the success or failure of films affects the ecosystem.”

Interestingly, earlier today, Ananya Panday also opened up about Liger’s failure and told The Free Press Journal, “I think one should take everything in their stride. There’s always something to learn from every experience. It actually makes you understand what went wrong and how one can be better. I don’t believe in keeping on sulking over things. Rather, I move on.”

Liger was a 2022 sports action film directed by Puri Jagannadh and produced under Dharma Productions label. In the film, Vijay Devarakonda played an MMA fighter. The film earned around Rs 48.58 crore in India.