'They Mortgaged Their Farmland': Vijay Deverakonda Says Sandeep Reddy Vanga's Family Risked Everything To Make Arjun Reddy

Actor Vijay Deverakonda recalled the extraordinary lengths director Sandeep Reddy Vanga and his family went to bring the 2017 film Arjun Reddy to the screen, a project that went on to transform both their careers. Vijay revealed that when the team struggled to raise funds for the film, Sandeep, his brother Pranay Reddy Vanga and their father, Prabhakar, put their family’s finances at stake to support Sandeep's vision.

Vijay Deverakonda Recalls Sandeep Reddy Vanga's Arjun Reddy Struggle

Speaking at the trailer launch of Romanchakam on Sunday, August 30, Vijay said, "When there was no money, Sandeep, Pranay Anna, and Prabhakar Uncle mortgaged their farmland to make the film out of trust in Sandeep. He, trusting me, had them invest and made the movie. Honestly, that's like stakes that are so high—you put your entire family's earnings and your future on one film."

'At War Side By Side'

Recalling the period before Arjun Reddy became a success, Vijay compared their struggle to being “at war side by side.” He said neither of them knew what the outcome would be and admitted they felt that everything depended on the film working.

Released in August 2017 on an estimated budget of Rs 5-15 crore, Arjun Reddy went on to gross around Rs 51 crore worldwide.

Arjun Reddy marked Sandeep Reddy Vanga’s directorial debut and starred Vijay Deverakonda alongside Shalini Pandey. Rahul Ramakrishna, Jia Sharma, Sanjay Swaroop, Gopinath Bhat, Kamal Kamaraju and Kanchana appeared in supporting roles.

The film was later remade in Hindi by Vanga himself as Kabir Singh, which was released on June 21, 2019. The Hindi adaptation starred Shahid Kapoor and Kiara Advani in the lead roles.