Actor Vijay Varma began his career as a theatre artiste in his hometown of Hyderabad. He worked in a couple of plays before deciding to enter the movie business. Vijay was lauded for his performances in ‘Rangrezz’, ‘Gang of Ghosts’, ‘Gully Boy’ ‘Pink,’ and ‘Baaghi 3’ before he entering the web series space with ‘Ghost Stories’. He is now playing a prominent character in ‘She’, a crime-thriller on Netflix. In an interview with Showtime, Vijay talks about Imtiaz Ali’s ‘She’, how his life changed after ‘Gully Boy’ and more.
What made you sign up for ‘She?’
Imtiaz sir told me about ‘She’. When he described the character and plot, I was unsure initially but eventually took it up because it was challenging. I was really scared and did not know whether I would be able to pull this off. I attended workshops, and Imtiaz sir made me and Aditi understand the character better, because the two of us had to share a unique on-screen bond. A lot of exploration happened; when we got a better understanding of it, we were able to shoot better.
Could you elaborate on your character in the series?
My on-screen name is Satya, and he is a very ambiguous person who does extremely mysterious work. Everything and anything he says could be just made up, or it may surprisingly turn out to be true. He is extremely untrustworthy, unreliable and strange. At the same time, he is the hero, so he needs to put up a certain face to the world. He could not be a part of the narcotics scene in Mumbai and his weakness is a certain kind of woman. Sexuality may be his only weakness, but he is a very twisted guy.
Did your theatre background help you strengthen your performance?
Yes, I did four years of theatre in Hyderabad and Pune, and a little bit in Mumbai. It brings discipline and principles to your work. It is a pure medium. When you are on stage, you are exposed to the live audience. It is a great exercise to understand collaboration, on how to build teamwork and time management. If you are even five minutes late or even a minute late for your entry on stage, you will mess up the entire play. Theatre gives you a foundation.
Do you think crime dramas sell?
I have always been a fan of detective stories and investigation films. I can imagine why people like such plots. It’s not a part of their regular lives, and how else will one get to know about police stations, procedures, narcotics and such things? It gives an insight into a world that we are not part of, so it eventually becomes interesting for people. That’s what attracts people to movies set in space too.
What is life like after ‘Gully Boy’s’ international acclaim? Have things changed for you?
It was like a fantasy. I really wanted something like this for a long time. I have been doing films for a long time but it’s never been like it was with ‘Gully Boy’. The success of the film and everything that followed was very fulfilling. In fact, all the work that I have been doing for the last one year is because of ‘Gully Boy’. Life has completely changed, there is a wave of excitement and a certain kind of regard that has made filmmakers want to work with me. People whom I have been chasing for years see something in me now.
How was the work with Mira Nair for ‘A Suitable Boy’?
Mira Nair is like the boss of all filmmakers. Just being able to land myself in an ensemble which also had actors like Tabu was great. Mira works with her actors closely, and it was a dream project.
How has the exposure to web series been like?
When you put it like that, it feels as though I have done many of them. The truth is that I have done only one this year other than ‘She’ and that is ‘Ghost Stories.’ It was a cameo for which I got a good response from the audience. I am yet to get the full experience that web platforms give.