IN THE INDUSTRY, WHO INSPIRES HIM THE MOST AND BEING IN LOVE WITH TAMANNAAH BHATIA
For the new cover story for GQ Hype’s latest edition, the versatile actor Vijay Varma meets with Saloni Dhruv. During their conversation, Varma talks about his entering his romantic era, adjusting to Mumbai and being an outsider in the film industry.
Vijay Varma on being typecast as the indie actor taking on off-beat roles:
All actors who have left a mark started with compelling, character-driven roles. Look at the early works of Amitabh Bachchan, Shah Rukh Khan, Robert De Niro, or Al Pacino. Anyone who believes they are worth their salt wants to do something against the grain. They want to explore characters who are not always likeable because there are too many people who want to play the good guy.
There’s more discovery at hand when you play characters whom you don’t know and can’t relate with. For an actor, this becomes an interesting challenge, a fun exercise. I don’t worry about getting typecast because I’m getting a variety of roles, playing characters that I would never imagine myself as—from a boy next door to a loving husband and a parent.
Varma on being an outsider and the challenges that come along with:
No one knew my name for years after I started. On the other hand, people who haven’t even done a film have not just their names, but details of their lives discussed all over. This discrepancy is obvious. But looking at how life panned out, it feels alright. I’m not sure I would have felt the same way if I hadn’t made it and I was an out-of-work actor. Then it would have been tragic.
On who he looks up to for inspiration:
When I was a kid, Mr. [Amitabh] Bachchan had the biggest impact on me, apart from Jackie Chan and Bruce Lee. When I started to study acting [at the Film and Television Institute of India], I was deeply influenced by Naseeruddin Shah, Irrfan Khan, Manoj Bajpayee, and Aamir Khan.
Among the current crop of actors, there are so many good performers. I root for anyone who is trying to be more than just a functional or a decorative actor. In fact, a lot of actors are trying to be characters now, which is refreshing.
Varma opens up about his relationship with Lust Stories 2 co-star Tamannaah Bhatia:
We’re dating. I’m happy and madly in love with her. Let’s just say it’s the end of my “villain” era and the start of the “romance” era in my life.
On his relationship with Mumbai, Varma says:
The moment I accepted that I was a slave to my work, I accepted the city as my own. It’s the one rule about Mumbai that I’ve learnt: If you’re in this city you need to work. You can’t be in Mumbai and not work; you can’t just chill. During my first two months here, the city tested me a lot. I was unhappy, I didn’t like the pace and I found everything about it too hectic. I often had days when I was like, I can’t live in this city! But as soon as I picked up more work, this city became meaningful and brought value to my life.
Varma on being a bona fide sneakerhead:
I’ve always been into shoes, but not necessarily sneakers. I was into leather footwear, like Chelsea boots and Oxford shoes. But a few years ago, when I was shooting for Super 30 in Poland, Anurag Kashyap decided to take me to a mall, to a New Balance store, and bought a couple of pairs for me. I spent a few days in them and fell in love with them. From then on, I got really deep into it. There should be about a hundred pairs in my collection.
