It was a different kind of birthday celebration for Vijay Kumar, who is turning a year older on January 20. The Salaga actor is at Kumbaranahalli and will be spending the special day at the memorial of his parents, built by him. "My parents have been too much in my mind, and I wanted to spend the day with them along with family and friends," says Vijay.

The actor, who made his Telugu debut with Nandamuri Balakrishna's Veera Simha Reddy is getting back to Kannada by releasing the first look of his upcoming directorial, Bheema. The look was released to mark the actor's birthday.

With fifty per cent shooting of Bheema completed, Vijay is set to begin filming his portions. "I will begin shooting my bit in the coming days," says Vijay adding, "Salaga established me as a director, and I'm currently enjoying the process of directing Bheema, which will only be bigger and better in its making."

Bankrolled by Krishna Sarthak and Jagadeesh Gowda, Bheema is based on the world of crime, and stars a lot of newcomers. Social media sensations Ash Melo Skyler, Black Dragon Manju, and Gili Gili Chandru are playing prominent roles in Bheema, which has music and cinematography by Charan Raj and Shiva Sena, respectively.