Photos: Meet Dhruv Vikram, the new star kid on the block

Say hello to Dhruv Vikram, the new kid on the movie block.

He's the son of South Indian superstar Chiyaan Vikram and he will make his debut with the Tamil-language romance ‘Adithya Varma’.

‘Adithya Varma’ is the scene-by-scene remake of 2017 Telugu blockbuster ‘Arjun Reddy’, which spawned the 2019 Bollywood film ‘Kabir Singh’. ‘Adithya Varma’ is the third remake to emerge from director Sandeep Vanga’s original romance about a volatile surgeon who handles a break-up miserably.

Dhruv reprises the role played by Telugu superstar Vijay Deverakonda in ‘Arjun Reddy’. He's seen here with actress Banita Sandhu.

The budding star calls acting his biggest dream and is a trained method actor from The Lee Strasberg Theatre & Film Institute. He took copious notes about his polarising character 'Adithya Varma', who’s a high-functioning alcoholic and potty-mouthed substance abuser in this film. But he reveals that he drank green tea and an apple drink in a bottle in scenes where he had to look intoxicated.

Dhruv calls his father his biggest idol and champion. “There’s nothing that I can say to express how grateful I am. He was deeply a part of this movie ever since the idea of doing this movie again formed in his head. More than his passion or love towards me, it is his passion towards cinema that shines here. He has taken a lot of care about detailing … He has been my pillar throughout my life,” he said in an interview with Gulf News tabloid!.

The journey to his cinematic debut hasn’t been easy. The first ready version of ‘Adithya Varma’ was scrapped and the whole crew was changed except the lead player. The wait and process was frustrating, claims Dhruv. “I was hesitant at first to do the film all over again. I put everything in that film and they scrap it… In the first two weeks when the new director came home, I didn’t speak to them or vibe with them too much. But the day I walked into the new sets, I knew we were on to something.”

His father Chiyaan Vikram was on the sets constantly. The scenes in which he had to kiss his on-screen love was embarrassing, claims Dhruv. “It was awkward initially when my dad was there … But he came up to me and said, we are trying to make a film and it’s work for you. So just do it.” 'Adithya Varma' releases in the UAE on November 21.