Vinay Rajkumar on his script selection: 'Look at it from the perspective of…'

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Vinay Rajkumar is only 4 films old, with his fifth set to be in theatres on August 30. But his filmography so far and the few upcoming projects he’s got has audiences in awe of his script selection. Despite being a third-generation actor from the Rajkumar family, Vinay’s films have not been about portraying him as a larger-than-life character or given him mass punchlines. His choice of scripts is a common talking point, and it was no different on August 28, when Vinay hosted an X space to talk to his fans about Pepe, his next film, which will be in theatres this Friday.

Vinay on his script selection

One of the first questions that Vinay fielded was about his process of selecting films. “As a member of the audience, I too watch a lot of films and there are things about them that I like. For instance, it could be the genre, the storyline, a particular character or two, the making style. Similarly, when I am offered a script, I look for these elements, as well as if it is close to anything I have done before; if there is something new in the story; if the narrative style feels fresh, etc. I weigh all of this before deciding whether to take up a film or not,” he says, adding, “Most importantly, as an actor, you have an instinct – when you hear a story you know it might appeal to audiences.”

The reason he approaches his films with the perspective of a movie-watching audience, he adds, is because, “at the end of the day, it is the audience that will watch my film too. So, I try to look at a story from the perspective of a movie-goer as far as possible. Of course, my personal likes and dislikes also come into play.” Having said this, Vinay adds that he also runs certain scripts by his father, Raghavendra Rajkumar, brother Yuva Rajkumar, filmmakers he trusts, etc.

Pepe, meanwhile, is Vinay’s most massy film to date, and has been censored A, not so much for its violence, but for the raw depiction of certain elements. Directed by Shreelesh S Nair, the film also stars Mayur Patel, Kaajal Kunder, Medini Kelamane, Naveen D Padil, Yash Shetty, Aruna Balraj, among others.