Vijay Deverakonda, born on May 9, 1989, is turning 37 years old. His regal wedding pictures with Rashmika Mandanna circulated widely back in February, and he garnered a lot of admiration from fans for his grand wedding look, adorned in traditional gold jewellery.
On the occasion of his birthday, let’s revisit his empowering take on why independence is integral to one’s sense of individuality.
The actor spoke at length about this, giving a very relatable explanation with the help of a workplace example. He shared his thoughts during an interview with Film Companion South on September 27, 2018. Let’s break down what he said and how his perspective can act as a reminder for you to build emotional, financial, and personal independence in order to stay authentic to one’s true self.
What did Vijay Deverakonda say?
“The more you are dependent on other people, the less you are like yourself. Because I need a job, I need to be nice to my boss and it is only survival, it is human instinct to be that, no one’s pretending, no one’s manipulative, some people over do it, but naturally if i have a boss, i want to get a promotion you are nice to them, imagine you dont need this boss then how you behave with them is how you truly are as a person. So, I feel the fewer the needs are and the less you are dependent on others, that’s how you truly are.”
He further elaborated on how a person’s true character becomes evident when they are successful and no longer seeking approval, validation, or opportunities from others.
In the next part, let’s dissect what he said, understand the analogy he used, and explore the takeaways from this perspective.
What did Vijay Deverakonda mean?
From the basics, let’s try to unpack what independence means to the actor, based on his perspective, and unpack the analogy.
According to Vijay, the proposition is simple: dependency comes at the cost of one’s own individuality.
Why? Because you are dependent on someone, in one way or another, you step into the dangerous territory of appeasement, in other words, people-pleasing; and fawning over people does shrink you, boxing you within their ideals.
However, he also clarified that this behaviour is not necessarily bad, because it comes from a place of survival rather than sycophancy. He gave one of the common examples from the workplace, where people may act extra amicable with their bosses, agreeing with all their opinions. This happens because their livelihood is at stake. Any disagreement may risk job security or even lead to a negative reputation within the industry.
But when someone becomes their own boss, such as by starting a venture or building a startup, they are more likely to stay true to themselves and express their opinions freely.
For example, with a person in a higher position in a workplace setting, there may be a tendency to butter them up or agree with their views, even at the cost of suppressing one’s own core values or opinions. This is done to remain in the boss’s good books for long-term goals like appraisals or promotions, or as Vijay put it, survival. But if you were to meet the same person outside the workplace, as an equal, where neither of you holds authority over the other, you would likely be less timid and behave far more authentically. This is why Vijay said that when a person becomes successful and no longer heavily dependent on others, they are better able to retain their autonomy and individuality.
