Vijay Deverakonda reveals why he auctioned his first Filmfare for Rs 25 lakh: 'A piece of stone in my house' 

Vijay Deverakonda Pic/Instagram

South superstar Vijay Deverakonda, who garnered headlines after he auctioned his first Filmfare award for best actor for Rs 25 lakh, has now revealed why he did so. The actor, who made his acting debut in 2016 with ‘Pelli Choopulu', won the award for his performance in Sandeep Reddy Vanga's ‘Arjun Reddy' which was his second film.

Speaking to Galatta Plus, Vijay was asked if he has a special shelf for awards he has won over the years, to which the actor replied, "Some might be at the office, some my mom must've kept at home. I don't know which are mine, which are Anand's. Some I give away, I gave one of them to Sandeep (Reddy Vanga). We auctioned my first Best Actor award I got from Filmfare. It got a good chunk of money, that's a nicer memory for me than a piece of stone in my house."

In 2018, Vijay donated the sum of Rs 25 lakh for a noble cause. He gave the entire amount to the Chief Minister Relief Fund (CMRF). Divi Labs' Shakunthala and Kiran Divi bought the trophy.

While addressing the media after the auction, Vijay said that he was paid a Rs 5 lakh fee for ‘Arjun Reddy' and demanded to give the same amount for the Filmfare trophy. However, Divi Labs offered him four times the amount and even asked him to keep the trophy. He declined the offer and emphasised that the staff members at the organisation must feel proud that they've donated to a noble cause.

Vijay awaits the release of his film 'Family Star'. Directed by Parasuram Petla, 'Family Star' is supported by a cast including Abhinaya, Vasuki, Rohini Hattangadi, and Ravi Babu, also features a special appearance by Rashmika Mandanna. Produced by Dil Raju, this multilingual release (Telugu, Tamil, and Hindi) is all set to hit theatres on April 5, 2024.

Vijay will next be seen in a film tentatively titled 'VD 12'. The movie is being directed by Jersey fame Gowtam Tinnanuri. Sree Leela will share screen space with Vijay. More details regarding the project are awaited. The film will have Vasu Varma as the creative producer, K.U. Mohanan as cinematographer, Gopi Sunder as music director with art direction being handled by A.S. Prakash.