New Delhi: Actors Vijay Deverakonda and Mrunal Thakur promoted their upcoming film, ‘Family Star’, at a press meet in Hyderabad. Directed by Parasuram Petla, the family drama will be released in theatres on April 5, 2024. In a candid conversation during the press conference, the actors opened up about their film, reacted to trolls and more.


Trolls on opulence in Kalyani Vaccha Vacchaa


Following the release of Gopi Sundar's song ‘Kalyani Vaccha Vacchaa’, many online users mocked the song for its opulent imagery set against the backdrop of middle-class lives.


When the same question was asked by a reporter, Vijay retorted, "I don't understand, are people genuinely confused or are they just looking to troll us?"


Furthermore, he made the argument that extravagant dream scenes are nothing new in the Indian film industry.


We have all grown up seeing lavish dream sequences in films. No one here is stupid enough to make a film where a hero asks the heroine to pay money for petrol (referring to a dialogue in the trailer) but has a lavish wedding. But even then, so what if he is middle class? Couldn’t he have done better for himself through the story? Let’s watch the film before jumping to conclusions.” He added.


On Vijay Deverakonda's character wearing Birkenstock footwear


Producer Dil Raju also brought up some online mocking he had seen regarding Govind, a character played by Vijay, and his use of Birkenstock footwear. He dismissed it, saying they might have been fake.


“You can easily find dupes of everything designer for cheap now,” he justified.


Mrunal Thakur on being called 'lucky'


Mrunal has been referred to as 'lucky' since making her Telugu film debut in the Hanu Raghavapudi-directed film 'Sita Ramam' in 2022. With Souryuv's 'Hi Nanna', which also got popular last year, the sentiment rang even deeper. Mrunal, though, made it apparent throughout the press meet that she dislikes the term "lucky."


When Mrunal was asked how she felt about the term ‘lucky’, she said, “That word is very temporary, and I don’t like it. Acting in films isn’t just my job, it’s my passion. I only want to say yes to roles that let me live them. When I was a child, I wanted to be a princess. When I got the role (in Sita Ramam), I felt like I had prepared for it all my life.”


She also stated unequivocally that although she has had offers from Telugu filmmkaers, she will only work on films in which her character is an essential part of the story. 


“I will only do stories I resonate with. I want to be known by my characters rather than as Mrunal. I want to let my work speak. If my character isn’t integral to the film, I won’t do it. I said yes to playing Sita, Yashna (Hi Nanna) and Indu (Family Star) because the film doesn’t work without them in it,” she added at the press conference.