Tamil superstar Vijay is all set to take the political plunge and actor Pooja Hegde is sad.
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The 34-year-old actor says she is a fan of Vijay and supports his decision to quit films to join politics.
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Hegde is set to reunite with Vijay in “Jana Nayakan”, what is widely believed to be his last film before he quits cinema to become a full-time time politician. The duo earlier featured together in Nelson Dilipkumar’s “Beast” (2022).
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The superstar actor, who formed his party Tamizhaga Vetri Kazhagam last year, revealed the film’s title last week.
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Asked how she felt about working with Vijay in his 69th and tentatively last film, Hegde said: “As a person who loves to watch him on screen, I’m very sad. But I also support his journey. I’m rooting for him. So, more power to him.” Hegde’s latest release is “Deva”, in which she co-stars with Shahid Kapoor.
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The actor plays an investigative journalist named Diya in Rosshan Andrrews’ film, which released on Friday.
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Also read: Vijay unveils poster of his last film ahead of political debut
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Hegde said Diya is a bold woman who asks tough questions and even unafraid to say anything to the titular character Deva, a brilliant but defiant cop.
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“When you sometimes ask questions you’re not supposed to, it can be taken in a wrong way. But their job is so crucial. It requires a lot of guts. I took those qualities in an investigative journalist and applied it to my scenes.
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“I don’t think people have seen me like that in Hindi (films), especially. So when I heard the script, I felt this is the right film for me… As artists, you’re always exploring and you’re looking for new characters that you can play,” she added.
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While she didn’t get to interact with real-life investigative journalists as they pretty much work “in the shadows”, Hegde said she drew inspiration from the 2016 Oscar-winning film “Spotlight” for her role.
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“For me, ‘Spotlight’ was a film that I really loved on investigative journalists. And, I know ‘Erin Brockovich’ was not a film where she (character played by Julia Roberts) was a journalist, but I liked how inquisitive she was in uncovering the truth… ‘Deva’ is not a film like ‘Spotlight’ but at the same time, I kind of took those qualities and put it into my scenes,” she said.
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Hegde has a slew of films lined up for release including “Retro” with Suriya and a slapstick comedy directed by David Dhawan and co-starring Varun Dhawan.