Tollywood actor Vijay Deverakonda of Arjun Reddy fame has been featured under the ‘Forbes India 30 under 30 list’. Deverakonda is the only actor on the list, which also features YouTube star Prajakta Koli, cricketer Smriti Mandhana, athletes Hima Das and Neeraj Chopra among others.

Deverakonda, who made his debut with Nuvvila in 2011, shot to fame after his 2016 romantic comedy Pelli Choopulu became a hit. But his popularity shot up after Arjun Reddy went on to become a massive box office success. The film was such a huge success that it is now being remade in Tamil and Hindi.

Taking to social media to announce this accomplishment, Deverakonda said that he was 25 when Andhra Bank account was locked for not maintaining a minimum balance of Rs 500. “Dad said settle before 30 – That way you can enjoy your success when you are young and parents are healthy. 4 years later – Forbes Celebrity 100, Forbes 30 under 30.”

Seven films down including successful films such as Geetha Govindam and Taxiwala, with Geetha Govindam even emerging as one of the biggest Telugu grossing films of recent times, Vijay Deverakonda has gained immense popularity as a ‘Rowdy’ not just in the Telugu speaking states, but also across the country. Deverkonda is extremely active on social media and is known to constantly engage with his fans through various activities like running an ice cream truck through city of Hyderabad on his birthday and taking fans for a ride in his car to promote his film Taxiwala. He also launched an app called ‘Rowdy’ to engage with fans. He also launched his own line of apparel under the same name, which he sells through limited launches on his app.

He is currently working on his next film, Dear Comrade, where he will be seen as a student leader following philosophies of Communism.