Actor Vijay Varma no longer auditions for roles—and has a track record to justify that

While his dark and insidious characters on-screen have garnered him critical appreciation, the actor wants to prove that he can excel at playing the good guy too

Before Vijay Varma strolled on the streets of Mumbai like he owns them in the opening sequence of Gully Boy (2019), the actor had seen enough and more rejections in his acting career. Hailing from Hyderabad, the Film and Television Institute of India-graduate debuted with a small role in the 2012 Manoj Bajpayee-starrer Chittagong, but it was his breakout role as Moeen Arif in Zoya Akhtar’s Gully Boy that changed his life in more ways than one, including receiving a letter of appreciation from none other than Amitabh Bachchan.

In his outings since then, the 37-year-old actor has delivered powerhouse performances, mostly playing the bad guy–from the sleazy gangster Sasya in the web series She (2020) to the abusive, alcoholic husband Hamza in 2022’s Darlings and as serial killer Anand Swarnakar who mercilessly stalks and kills women in the recently-released series Dahaad. He is now hoping that the audience appreciates his ‘good guy’ act in Jio Cinema’s series Kaalkoot releasing on 27 July. Edited excerpts from a conversation:    

Tell us about your new show Kaalkoot and your character’s graph in it

It is the story of a police officer who is reluctant to work in the police force and as a result, resigns within two months of joining. He feels incapable of carrying out the job in the tough and hostile environment of the police station. At the same time, he is also dealing with the loss of his father. There is a sense of not being ‘man enough’ for the job. As fate would have it, a case of an acid attack comes his way. He has a connection with the woman who is the victim. How he finds himself as a police officer through the course of his investigation is what the story is about. He tries to understand himself, the nature of the crime, as well as how to crack this case. It is a coming of age of sorts.

In recent times, we have seen a spate of cop dramas including Paatal Lok, Delhi Crime, Kohrra and Dahaad, in which you star. What do you think is fascinating about this genre and how does your recent show stand out?

I think we want to understand what the police do. We want to know what happens to someone who breaks the law and what is the life police officers lead. It is a world that we don’t really have access to as laypersons and anything which is not part of our mundane life draws our attention. This is the reason genres such as sci-fi, horror, cop stories, gangsters, serial killers and, sometimes, even erotica, work well. These are subjects we don’t have much information about and would like to know more. I’ve always been a fan of police procedurals. I don’t know how this is different; it is completely up to the audience’s imagination. When I read the script, I knew that writer and director Sumit Saxena had written a slick investigation. What I found most interesting—which is probably happening of late—is that we are trying to understand the man, not so much the job. Here, we are trying to understand a very reluctant police officer, which was an interesting start to the story. Also, the absolute sheer evil of acid attacks has not been discussed enough. I am not sure if they are local to us as a nation or are they something that take place across several regions. Any story that talks about this issue brings with it a certain perspective, I guess.

Do you believe that the Hindi film industry is perhaps now more accepting of actors instead of 'stars,' and has the playing field become a little more levelled now?

I think storytelling has evolved and reached a certain place. For somebody like me to headline a project is a refreshing change for myself—and long pending! (laughs) There is a lot of hard work that has gone into it and I feel that I have earned this spot. Having said that, this evolution in storytelling and emergence of streaming platforms has ensured that there are more jobs. In my initial years of being in Mumbai, there were either theatrical releases or television shows, nothing in between. This new booming industry has helped a lot of people find employment and when you give people work, they get an opportunity to shine.

What happens eventually is that while you can contest as much as you want, it is ultimately the audience who decides if they want to watch the next episode or not. It is very democratic and user-friendly. If you open any entertainment app now, you will probably see a Hollywood film next to an Indian web series or a Malayalam film. I would have never imagined something like this even five years ago. It’s nice to see your face next to Tom Cruise’s! (laughs) I’m not saying that has necessarily happened but I have seen my face next to some iconic films and filmmakers.

We heard that you do not audition for roles anymore. Do you feel that not auditioning for roles is the mark of having arrived in the industry?

I stopped auditioning for roles as soon as I got a letter of appreciation from Mr Amitabh Bachchan after Gully Boy. My first thought was, ‘I should stop auditioning now’. I mean, who do I have to go and prove myself to now?

As for having arrived in the industry, in the ecosystem of the Indian film industry, I would say yes! But it is not all that. I was done with the process of auditioning. I had done enough of it and spent time and energy getting rejected quite frequently. It wasn’t doing me any good. I understand that if you are an absolutely unknown person whom nobody knows, then they want to test you and see if you can deliver the lines and carry that energy through the project but once you have a body of work, then you have seen the actor play different roles. I started my career in 2012 and I had done enough by the time I did Gully Boy in 2019. It wasn’t that I suddenly felt arrogant one day and decided to stop auditioning. No, it was a sigh of relief.

Some of your contemporaries are also looking at the West for opportunities. Is that a space that interests you? Are you auditioning or actively looking out for roles in international productions? What about projects in other Indian languages, considering you are from Hyderabad?

It is a space that interests me a great deal but I am not actively pursuing it. I will consider it if an opportunity comes my way. Currently, I am neck-deep in work that I want to do. I have enough on my plate and there is enough simmering. After Gully Boy, I finally got the luxury to choose what I want which is a big achievement for me. I don’t think I have the bandwidth to leave that and venture outside but there may come a time when I might instinctively decide to try something. My life has taken turns in a way that even I couldn’t predict, so I might stumble upon something.

I have done a Telugu film (Middle Class Abbayi in 2017) but of late, every time an opportunity came my way, I found myself too busy to take it. I have the intention of doing something but have still not been able to find the timelines for it.

There are quite a few highly-anticipated projects in the pipeline including Devotion of Suspect X with Kareena Kapoor Khan and Mirzapur 3. What can you share with us about them?

Devotion of Suspect X will be renamed to make it more accessible [to the audience]. I had done enough characters that were dealing with the dark when this script was offered to me and it was a refreshing change for me to do this role. It was a soothing and fun experience and I am looking forward to seeing it myself. As for Mirzapur 3, I believe it is the most anticipated show in the country. It’s a critic-proof show and I am very glad I have that!

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