MUMBAI: Vijay Deverakonda on Tuesday said he is going "all out" with "JGM", a pan India action movie that reunites the actor with his "Liger" director Puri Jagannadh.
The actor, who shot to nationwide fame courtesy Telugu films "Arjun Reddy" and "Dear Comrade", said his desire to entertain audiences across the country has only grown over the years.
"If you can tell a story to a whole country then why not? But at the same time, the audience back home is also very important. Any film that I do, we want everyone to enjoy it and be entertained by it.
"It is not easy to always find a story that works for an entire country because they are rooted (in the milieu) and it makes no sense to scale it. I am lucky that I am getting such (pan India) scripts. I have always enjoyed performing for the biggest audience," Deverakonda told reporters.
He was speaking at the press conference about the announcement of "JGM" here.
"National cinema" excites him the most, the 32-year-old actor said.
"I knew I wanted to do cinema, when I did theatre it was one auditorium and I knew it (a stage play) could fill thousands of auditoriums. I wanted the biggest stage and that excites me. So national cinema, Indian cinema... satisfies the desire in me. I will go for it and I am going all out."
The actor also thanked filmmaker SS Rajamouli for opening the doors to pan Indian cinema with his superhit "Baahubali" film franchise.
"Pan Indian films were made before but it was 'Baahubali' which showed us what is possible," he said, adding that these movies will soon be termed "Indian films".
"We have a huge population and it is one of India's biggest strengths. I always wondered why Hollywood films are made on such a big budget or why are stars there bigger stars? And it is only because more people speak English and watch English films.
"Are they more talented than us? I don't believe so. We are equally or more talented than them. They are just bigger stars because more people watch their films and know their language," Deverakonda emphasised.
It is only through unity that the Indian film industry can grow more powerful and reach greater heights, he said.
"In two years, if films continue to perform like 'Baahubali', 'RRR', and 'Pushpa' then Hollywood will be knocking at our doors to collaborate with them," the actor added.
Speaking about their new film "JGM", director Jagannadh described the project as "a patriotic film" and his dream project.
"I have been waiting for a chance to make it for many years and finally it is happening because of Vijay. It is a fictional story, it is patriotic war movie. It is a soldier's dream," the filmmaker added.
Jagannadh, who has written the film, will also produce the project with Charmme Kaur under their banner Puri Connects and Vamshi Paidipally of Srikara Studio.
The shoot of "JGM" will commence next month across multiple international locations.
Actor-turned-producer Kaur said the film is being made on a large scale.
"It has many war sequences. We have a lot of challenges. We hope it becomes one of the most prestigious films of Indian cinema. We need love and support," she added.
Before "JGM", Deverakonda is awaiting the release of "Liger", another pan India film.
Backed by Hindi filmmaker Karan Johar, the sports action film is scheduled to be released on August 25. It also stars Ananya Panday and Mike Tyson.
Deverakonda said he is happy with the love he has been receiving from the Hindi-speaking market even before the release of "Liger".
"People have made me aware that there is this huge following and I am happy to know that it exists. But having said that, I don't feel any kind of pressure with 'Liger' because I know it's a sure hit. I am just waiting for the film to be released," he added.
"JGM" will be released on August 3, 2023, in Hindi, Telugu, Tamil, Kannada and Malayalam.