Kuberaa, which starred Dhanush in the lead role, released on June 20, 2025. The Sekhar Kammula-directed film marks Dhanush's first Telugu film, where he played a beggar named Deva. The National-award winning actor received widespread praise for his stellar act and was hailed for delivering his 'career best' performance. But did you know, the role of Dhanush was first offered to Vijay Deverakonda? Here's why he rejected it.
Why did Vijay Deverakonda reject Kuberaa?
As per a report in India Today, Vijay Deverakonda turned down the offer as he was skeptical as how the audience will look on to his character.
The portal quoted a source saying, "Vijay was the first actor the makers approached. They were keen on casting someone with mass appeal, and Vijay fit the bill perfectly. But he had reservations about how his core audience would perceive the character".
The source also said that Vijay didn’t want to "risk alienating his fan base." He is extremely aware of his image, and felt that the audience might not like to see him in the character of a beggar. "A subdued, powerless role felt like a misfit to him at this point in his career," added the source.
After he refused to play the part, Dhanush boarded Kuberaa.
Dhanush who played Deva in the gripping socio-political thriller, has yet again cemented his position as one of the best actors in the Indian film industry. He has a complex character arc in the film and it shows a significant transformation of a destitute man. In the beginning, Deva gets entangled in the world of money, power and deceit, and later challenges those in power, to become a morally upright person.
Kuberaa, also starring Nagarjuna, Rashmika Mandanna and Jim Sarbh, is inching closer to the Rs 100 crore club. It has minted Rs 84.60 crore at the box office, in 14 days.
Coming back to Vijay Deverakonda, he will be next seen in Kingdom, and Rowdy Janardhan.
