Commercial films – the genre of movies that often have wafer-thin plots and instead focus on elevating its protagonist with action, drama, romance and mass dialogues – are a staple in most stars’ filmography. Star kids also come burdened with this expectation, which may not always work with audiences. Vinay Rajkumar has, so far, consciously stayed away from the routine and charted his own path in films, which, may not have given him box office success, but instead got him immense satisfaction as an actor, as well as appreciation from audiences for not taking the oft toed line.

Ahead of the release of Pepe, Vinay Rajkumar's next, which is his most ‘commercial’ film to date, the actor hosted an X space to talk to fans about the Shreelesh S Nair directorial, his filmography and more. Pepe, which has been certified A, has shades of what audiences expect in a commercial film and created excitement among fans. This has also meant that the clamour for the actor to do more such films has intensified.

Vinay Rajkumar's take on commercial cinema

During the hour-long X space about Pepe, a horde of fans urged Vinay to stick to the genre, but instead of outright accepting or rejecting the idea, the actor took an interesting approach with his response. “Don’t you watch all kinds of movies, across genres?” asked Vinay in response to one fan and when he replied in the affirmative, the actor added, “See, after doing a bunch of romantic dramas, when you then saw me in the trailer of Pepe, you felt ‘wow’. If I do only commercial films, it will become monotonous. I believe that the best mix would be to do all kinds of cinema, including the commercial variety, so that there’s something for every audience”.

The actor also addressed the issue of his films often receiving appreciation from critics and audiences alike, that does not reflect in their box office performance. “For a film to get its due in theatres, you need to get the right release. But that apart, sometimes, my film teams and I may have also failed to communicate the messages in these movies correctly. Having said this, when a film releases and you have liked it, you should tell others in your circle about it. There’s no better publicity than word of mouth,” reckons Vinay.

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