Vijay Varma talks about the BIG Mirzapur family: Who is more famous and successful doesn’t matter | EXCLUSIVE

Vijay Varma started with load-bearing parts in Chittagong And Pink in 2013-16. And look where he is now! The reputation of the all-rounder follows Vijay. He can now be seen in the third part of the blockbuster series Mirzapur on Amazon. In conversation with the versatile Verma!

It’s been quite a journey for you… what brings you to Mirzapur?

Yes, it was quite a journey. Which brings me to Mirzapur is, in February 2019, my film Gully Boy released and in the same week I was approached by Excel and the director Gurmeet. They offered me the double role, the twin brothers, in Mirzapur Season 2 and I was already a fan of Season 1. I had seen it and knew what kind of fan base the show had. It was a very easy decision for me and it was my first dual role while also getting to be part of this incredible ensemble and a very successful franchise.

You have achieved a new level of recognition in recent years. How do you think this happened and how are you dealing with your new success?

Yes, it was. It was actually a very slow, long and gradual process until I got to a point where my work was translating into success. I had experienced a lot of failures in the beginning with launch and non-launch titles, projects that didn’t get released, didn’t get made, didn’t succeed and didn’t find an audience. I took that path and eventually found an audience and eventually the work I’ve been doing for the last 2-3 years found a big audience and I think that led to success. I don’t know how it happened but all I know is that I kept my head down and kept working and kept choosing the right stories that resonated with me and the creators I want to work with and that’s pretty much the same process I follow even now.

Which directors are currently on your wish list?

I had a wish list of directors I wanted to work with and certain types of performances I wanted to do. I am currently shooting with Nagraj Manjule Sir for Matka King and it’s a dream project for me. I don’t know how to handle success. I don’t think I have to handle success. What happens with success is it starts to handle you. It makes life a little easier and things a little more accessible. And I always wanted to be a busy actor, but now I can also take time for myself and really get deeper into the process and take more time to prepare and try to give everything to a role, which I feel is a luxury that I’ve earned.

Which films and shows do you consider to be the highlights of your career so far?

When I look at the big highlights, I think Monsoon ShootoutMy first film, which was shown in Cannes in 2013, was a big moment for me. This is the first film I signed and Chittagong was the first film I made. Then, I think the next big highlight was probably Ray of hopebecause I was completely unemployed and had no money, nothing, my career was in the trash and I contributed a small part to that, but it somehow resurfaced, at least for some people. It somehow brought me back and above all gave me hope that I can do something too. Then Gully Boy was also a big highlight that changed a lot for me. The success of Gully Boy and the recognition that the film and I received was the first I had received in that capacity, and that was the first time I thought, “How would other people have felt if they had had success?” because I hadn’t had it until then, and how many wounds could have been healed by success. After Gully boy, pretty much everything went smoothly. But I think Mirzapur is also a highlight because it was the first time I saw a show that got crazy reactions from the audience. That was one of the early shows and it is actually one of the reasons why people started binge-watching Indian serials. It is one of those pioneers. I saw a drastic increase in the fan following, social media and several other things. I think Favorites And Dahaad were highlights because it’s another amazing film and show, and I’ve received tremendous love and recognition. Jaane, Jaane is definitely one of the highlights and now we look at Mirzapur Season 3, and I can’t wait to see what happens next.

Coming back to Mirzapur, please tell me a little about your character and how he or she contributes to the dynamics of the plot and to your own experience.

That is Mirzapur’s third part, so it’s the same character that I portrayed last time. I actually played two characters in season two and at the end we find out that there was a massive shootout and both of them are lying on the ground and one of them has a fatal wound to the head. So one of them is probably dead and the other is alive but we don’t know who is dead. Bade Tyagi AKA Bharat Tyagi or Chhote Tyagi AKA Shatrughan Tyagi. We left it at that. So we start the season and it’s a bleak environment for the Tyagi family and there is grief and a deep sense of vengeance. In the previous season, I must say, I had multiple personality disorder, in this season I felt like I had a split personality issue because it’s just so contradictory, this character, there’s a lot of inner conflict and there’s a lot of hiding and secrecy. Along with them, there’s a lot of deep seated vengeance and at the same time longing. So it’s a very conflicted and atoning path that I’ve walked this season. But yes, it all comes from the perspective of a shattered lover, of revenge energy.

What was it like working with the other talented actors of Mirzapur?

To make a long story short, it was a no-brainer. I mean it because the show has some of the most easy-going and professional, talented actors. I admired their work and I had the chance to work with them and working with them was easy and enlightening. I entered the Mirzapur Franchise in season 2, the characters were already established. And I also became a part of the show very seamlessly, the story was smooth and fluid when I was introduced. All of them are such wonderful actors who cheer, motivate and support each other. They celebrate each other’s success and it’s like a big family. I had the pleasure of working with Pankaj Sir in Mirzapur and in Murder Mubarak. He is a simple and educated man and working with him was fun and sitting and talking with him is twice the fun. I feel good when I am around him. There is Ali, Divyendu, Shweta, Rasika and they all are actors who have achieved a lot and set their own standards. They have managed to carve a niche for themselves. But the biggest character of this show is the fans, the fan base and we all carry that love and admiration very deep in our hearts. Because it doesn’t happen that people wait so long for us to come and tell stories. Keeping that in mind, we maintain the same level of energy and motivation on the sets and work towards it for them.

Just out of curiosity: How do you deal with it when your co-actors are not as successful as you?

I entered Mirzapur in the 2nd season and the entire cast of the show was already established at that time. The entire cast of Mirzapur suited the roles so well that people on the street knew them by the roles they played in Mirzapur. When I am from outside, I can apply that perspective of who has the greater talent but when I am on the show and it is like a big family, who is famous, who has achieved more does not come in between. Even when we talk about achievements, all the cast members have made a lot of marks on their characters and very few actors are lucky enough to achieve that. Today, Ali is known as Guddu Bhaiya, the entire media, paparazzi, street guys, everyone knows him by the name of the role he played in Mirzapur. Divyendu as Munna Bhaiya, Pankaj Sir as Kaleen Bhaiya, Rasika as Beena Ji. Winning the hearts of millions of people with the characters is a great achievement and I also want to make such an impact on people that my characters leave a mark on their hearts and minds and make the roles unforgettable.

Do you agree that OTT has given new impetus to your career?

It gave me a new platform, a new pair of eyes and a new audience. It also took away the pressure of the box office and the numbers and the numbers game. So the energy of equal opportunity that OTT provides was quite refreshing. I remember when we were trying to get the release date of Monsoon Shootout and shortly before the cinema release a small advertisement for the film appeared To me next to an advertisement for a very big movie. The producer of Monsoon Shootout worked very hard to buy that small ad. So the hierarchy between big and small is now fluid thanks to OTT platforms. If you go to the home screen of such platforms, you can see your film alongside any international film, in the same row, no matter how big or small the budget of the film is. So the kind of democracy that OTT has brought has brought a lot of corrections that I have benefited from. I have stayed away from typical films or had no visible contribution there, so the kind of cinema that I like is very similar to the genres available on OTT. Unless you have an audience to see your work, your professional portfolio is static somewhere, OTT has given me an audience that has gratefully admired my work and pushed me to be better.

Please tell me about your upcoming projects.

I shoot with Nagraj Manjule Sir, Matka Kingit’s an Amazon original series. I did a mini series with Anubhav SinhaIC814it is also preparing for release, so that will be the next thing after that MirzapurI did a film with Manish Malhotra’s production, Ul Jalul Ishqwith Naseer Sir and Fatima. That has already been shot, so it is also in post-production.