Liger, Vijay Deverakonda’s Bollywood debut, may have turned out to be a box-office dud, but the actor had left no stone unturned for the film. Recalling the intense preparation, Vijay revealed how he survived on ice cubes and went without water before shoots. He admitted that the film’s failure hurt because he had given so much of himself to it.
Vijay on intense prep for Liger
Speaking to Sudhir Srinivasan, Vijay recalled, “During Liger, I had to slowly cut down on water. In the last 10 hours before the shoot, you’re not drinking water. You’re just licking an ice cube. It is not healthy at all. Every second, from the time I was drinking 300 ml of water a day, every minute you’re just like: water, water, water. That’s all you need. That’s all you want at that moment.”
He added, “When I was licking that ice cube and was not allowed water, I was sleeping thinking of water. I was like, ‘I can’t function like this.’ I told them, ‘I want coconut water, get four litres of it.’ I didn’t want food; I just wanted chilled coconut water… After three hours, I would be restless and tell my team to bring in chilled coconut water… after that, when the film does not work, it hurts because you have given a lot of yourself.”
Liger was directed by Puri Jagannadh and shot simultaneously in Hindi and Telugu. The film also starred Ananya Panday and Ramya Krishnan. Made on a reported budget of Rs 125 crore, Liger earned around Rs 60 crore.
Vijay Deverakonda’s upcoming movies
Ranabaali is being produced on a grand scale by Naveen Yerneni and Y. Ravi Shankar, with T-Series presenting the film. The movie is set against a British-era backdrop and is being made as a period action drama. Set in the 19th century, the film is based on real historical events that took place between 1854 and 1878, and is being mounted as a massive pan-India project.
For the unaware, Vijay Deverakonda essays the role of Ranabaali, while Rashmika Mandanna plays his wife, Jayamma, in the film. Arnold Vosloo, best known for his work in The Mummy, plays the antagonist, Sir Theodore Hector.
After Geetha Govindam and Dear Comrade, Ranabaali will be the third film in which Rashmika Mandanna and Vijay Deverakonda will be seen appearing together as a pair.
Vijay Deverakonda recalls surviving on ice cubes for Liger shoot
