Dorasaani to Gam Gam Ganesha: Anand Deverakonda is a rising star of Tollywood

Going by the promos of Gam Gam Ganesha—a crime comedy releasing on Friday, 31 May—it seems like Anand Deverakonda is in the right direction.

Unlike his brother Vijay Deverakonda, Anand isn’t in a hurry to chase stardom. Instead, he’s focusing on picking the right projects—mostly working with newcomers—which will help him grow as a performer as much as possible.

Never disappoints

The actor has left an indelible mark as Raghava in ‘Middle Class Melodies’. (Instagram)

It’s quite fascinating how Anand Deverakonda has been able to try his hand at different genres with each of his films so far.

Thankfully, what has worked in the young actor’s favour is that his growth in terms of every single performance thus far is visible.

Despite a film or two not working at the box office, his performance hasn’t disappointed audiences and that’s unarguably the biggest takeaway from his journey.

Among his performances, Anand left an indelible mark as Raghava, the soft-spoken guy with big dreams from Middle Class Melodies (2020). It was a shame that the film missed its theatrical release and was dropped directly on Amazon Prime Video.

Middle Class Melodies could’ve been Anand’s own Pelli Choopulu (2016) if it had been released in theatres. This was a beautiful coming-of-age story of a young man’s dream to open a small hotel.

The movie captured the small-town milieu beautifully and as authentically as possible.

It was so close to reality that you feel like you’re sitting with the characters and having a close-to-heart conversation.

Among all things, Anand Deverakonda never strived to look like a hero in the story but it felt like a performance that was so close to reality that his transformation into Raghava is well justified.

Also Read: Won’t do a mass commercial for now: Anand Deverakonda

Turns a performer with Baby

The film ‘Baby’ (2023) catapulted him into a strong performer. (Instagram)

He continued to shine in his subsequent releases such as Pushpaka Vimanam (2021) and Highway (2022), but it was Baby that catapulted him into a strong performer.

Keeping all the controversies aside, Baby felt like the kind of performance that’ll come once in a blue moon. The film’s massive success hasn’t changed Anand, and one can get that with how he conducts himself. He’s very much aware that the success of Baby can’t be repeated.

“Baby grossed over ₹100 crore but I know for a fact that my next film won’t collect so much. We made Gam Gam Ganesha on a budget of ₹6 crore. I’d be happy if we recover that and make some profits over it,” the talented actor said in an interview.

He is quite conscious of growing as an actor. He doesn’t want to restrict himself to a certain kind of film.

“If I follow that path, there’s no excitement in picking a subject and spending so many months on it. With Gam Gam Ganesha, I’m exploring a new genre which is crime comedy,” Anand Deverakonda added.

Bulked up for Gam Gam Ganesha! Rather gained some super lean muscle!! 😎

Playing a hero who never quite saves the day, but at least the muscles are real. 💪😅 #GamGamGanesha on May 31st#GGG pic.twitter.com/gsnqB41BWx

— Anand Deverakonda (@ananddeverkonda) May 19, 2024

Likes to be choosy

Anand Deverakonda is open about being a product of nepotism. (Instagram)

Anand Deverakonda briefly attempted comedy in his previous films but hasn’t done an out-and-out crime comedy film. “Not just for me, even audiences would find Gam Gam Ganesha refreshing to watch.”

Among the new generation of actors who are taking Telugu cinema to newer avenues, Anand is on top with his contemporaries.

He is trying to break free from the image set around him. He doesn’t want to be playing the soft-spoken, boy-next-door kind of role, and tries to choose different scripts.

“I’m sure audiences will naturally appreciate my intent if I did something different. Post-Baby, people started approaching me with a lot of romantic scripts but I’ve been choosy about what I’ve shown interest in,” he clarified.

Although Anand doesn’t shy away from his brother’s (Vijay Deverakonda) shadow and is open about being a product of nepotism, he says he wants to do films based on what he’s seen and experienced in his life.

“There’s so much pressure from people around who expect me to be on par with my brother. But I don’t look at my career that way or that’s not the path I aspire to take,” he signed off.

Also Read: OTT opens new doors for female actors