Liger, which marked Vijay's Bollywood debut co-starring Ananya Panday, tanked at the box office upon release in 2022.

Published on: Oct 4, 2026, 07:48:19 IST

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Vijay Deverakonda is gearing up for the release of his upcoming film Ranabaali. The actor's Hindi-language debut with Liger failed to impress the audience when it released in theatres in 2022. In the film, Vijay played an underdog mixed martial arts (MMA) fighter with a severe stutter who rises from the streets of India to the international stage.

What Vijay said

Vijay has also undergone a physical transformation for Ranabaali, where he plays a fierce, rebellious warrior and freedom fighter. In a chat with Sudhir Srinivasan, Vijay revealed that how this is not the first time that he has had to make a physical transformation. But it was not as unhealthy like the time he underwent in Liger.

Vijay said, “During Liger, I had to slowly cut down on water. In the last 10 hours before the shoot, you're not drinking water. You're just licking an ice cube. It is not healthy at all. Every second, from the time I was drinking 300 ml of water a day, every minute you're just like: water, water, water. That's all you need. That's all you want at that moment.”

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He added, “When I was licking that ice cube and was not allowed water, I was sleeping thinking of water. I was like, 'I can't function like this.' I told them, 'I want coconut water, get four litres of it.' I didn't want food, I just wanted chilled coconut water… after three hours, I would be restless and tell my team to bring in chilled coconut water… after that when the film does not work it hurts because you have given a lot of yourself.”

About Liger

Liger was directed by Puri Jagannadh and was shot simultaneously in Hindi and Telugu. Apart from Vijay and Ananya, the film also starred Ramya Krishnan and Ronit Roy, along with a cameo from Mike Tyson. Made on a budget of ₹125 crore, the film earned only ₹60 crore.

Directed by Rahul Sankrityan, Ranabaali is set in 19th century, South India, and explores a British-made famine. Vijay's character, Ranabaali is a furious rebel from a royal lineage driven by regional anger rises up to protect his starving people and defy the cruel British commissioner, Sir Theodore Hector (played by Arnold Vosloo). It also stars Rashmika Mandanna, and releases in theatres on October 16.

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