Hyderabad: Actor Vijay Deverakonda, who was questioned by the Enforcement Directorate in connection with the funding of the film “Liger”, on Wednesday said he did his duty as popularity comes with side effects and troubles. The ED questioned Vijay for over nine hours in connection with the PMLA case, a complaint filed with the central agency alleging that hawala money was invested in the film by a top Telangana Rashtra Samithi leader was.
Vijay, coming out of the ED office here, said, “Getting popularity will have some problems and side effects. It was an experience. And this is life. When I was called, I did my duty. I came and answered questions.” He didn’t call me again.”
According to sources, Vijay was questioned in a case related to alleged FEMA (Foreign Exchange Management Act, 1999) violation. Earlier on November 17, the ED had questioned Charmme Kaur, the producer of ‘Liger’, over alleged FEMA violations. Vijay was recently seen in a sports action film ‘Liger’ opposite Ananya Panday, which failed to impress the audience at the box office.
Backed by Karan Johar’s Dharma Productions, the film also stars Ramya Krishnan. The film revolves around a young boy, Ligar (Vijay) and his widowed mother Balamani (Ramya Krishnan), who have come to Mumbai from Telangana as she wants to see her son become the national MMA (Mixed Martial Arts) champion.
While preparing for his role in ‘Liger’, Vijay took mixed martial arts training in Thailand. The film was shot simultaneously in Telugu and Hindi. Apart from Telugu, Vijay has also dubbed his lines in Hindi. The film also marked the Bollywood debut of American boxer Mike Tyson.
Meanwhile, the actor is gearing up to make a grand comeback with his next pan-India action thriller ‘Jana Gana Mana’, slated to release in 2023.
Reportedly, the ‘Arjun Reddy’ actor is all set to start shooting for his next film ‘Jana Gana Mana’ with director Puri Jagannath. The ‘world famous lover’ will also be seen opposite South actor Samantha Ruth Prabhu in an upcoming romantic drama film ‘Khusi’, which is all set to hit the theaters on December 23, 2022.