Hyderabad: The filming of Vijay Deverakonda and Samantha Ruth Prabhu starrer Kushi was not a smooth ride for everyone involved. Team Kushi had to halt the shoot for an indefinite time as Samantha went through a tumultuous time in her personal life while her health too took a jolt. During the Kushi trailer launch here on Wednesday, Vijay was lauded for extending support to Samantha, however, the actor said that they had no other option but to wait.
It took two years for team Kushi to complete the film as it hit a roadblock when Samantha had to take a break from the shoot. When asked how difficult was it to keep faith in the film during the uncertain time, Vijay said, "There was no other option" while denying doing something benevolent by extending support to Samantha. "We were okay to wait. For us, she matters and we know how much she contributes to the film and her health matters."
Back then, reports of Samantha giving priority to other projects and putting Kushi on the back burner leaving Vijay and the team in trouble did the rounds of webloids. Contrary to reports, team Kushi as revealed by Vijay was ready to wait even for a year. Reflecting on the challenges that the film went through, Vijay said that he even mulled over the idea of taking a 10-year leap if need be.
The actor said that they had canned the first part of the film when it went into the lull and he discussed the idea of reopening the story with the characters' journey a decade later. In jest, Vijay also said that he and director Shiva Nirvana also considered selling idlis while they waited for Samantha to resume Kushi shoot. Vijay winded up his reply on a thank you note to Samantha for working so hard during what she was going through and getting the film done.
At the event, Vijay was also asked about the watershed moment in the Kushi trailer as his character Viplove assures that he is a feminist at heart regardless of his reputation in society. The dialogue is an apparent dig at the brouhaha post-Arjun Reddy release as the film was tagged "misogynist" by a section of critics and netizens.
