Exclusive: Tanuj Virwani talks about his passion for cricket, fitness and his craft in an interaction with vopbuzz.com.
Tanuj Virwani on Playing a Cricketer, Censorship in OTT Space and More: Tanuj Virwani is known for his role as Vayu Raghavan in the popular sports serial Inner Edge. Her portrayal of Vayu in the series, which stars Richa Chadha, Aamir Bashir, Sayani Gupta, Sapna Pabbi and Vivek Oberoi in important roles, was praised. Actor recently seen in web show Bajao, in an exclusive interaction with vopbuzz.com, talked about his transformation from portraying bad boy roles to simple characters. He emphasized the need for wholesome family entertainment when it comes to digital streaming platforms. Tanuj talked about fitness, the importance of social media and his love for the gangster genre.
TANUJ VIRWANI EMPHASIZED THE IMPORTANCE OF VERSATILITY FOR ACTORS
Speaking of your character BajaoTanuj says, “I have been an active part of the OTT medium since 2016, that is when I started shooting for Inside Edge. Since the last 6-7 years, I have worked either in sports dramas or dark and gritty stories. Bajao There is an element of comedy but no slapstick comedy. The crazy hat vibe of the series resonated with me. After that Inner Edge People wanted me, I was playing girl-next-door roles or giving off a bad boy vibe with dashing things. My character Ved Bajao He is a very pure soul who thinks directly from his heart. There are no shades of gray where you can see a conniving or manipulative character. “As an actor, it is important to take on different roles when creating your work.”
TANUJ VIRWANI REVEALS HIS FAVORITE CRICKETERS
When asked about taking inspiration from real-life athletes while shooting for Inside Edge, the actor says: “As an actor, you always observe certain character traits and attitudes. While working on the character of Vayu, it really helped me that in real life I have been a cricket fan since I was very young. I observed many cricketers like Tendulkar, Ganguly, Laxman, MSD and then we saw Virat Kohli. I think when Virat Kohli came the whole culture and emphasis on fitness changed. These guys are fearless, they come with abs, tattoos and crazy haircuts, but they can also walk the walk and talk the talk. I wanted to instill all these qualities of today’s cricketers like KL Rahul, Hardik Pandeya and Ravindra Jadeja.”
TANUJ VIRWANI REVEALED HIS FUTURE PROJECTS
Tanuj started his career with theatrical releases but lately he is seen only in the web space. He says, “As an actor, it doesn’t matter whether it is OTT or theatrical releases as long as I have a good character and story and supporting cast. However, yes, when I decided to become an actor, I wanted to work in films first because in 2012-13, we did not have the option of web series and OTT platforms. In the long run, I would like to have a career in which I will take part in both theatrical productions and web series. Also today, the lines have blurred with actors like Manoj Bajpayee, Shahid Kapoor and R Madhavan making their digital debut. There are some stories that work well in the longer format, while some films lend themselves to outstanding entertainment. I don’t think too many people will be interested in watching it pathan as a web series Inner Edge “It gave me a new life, but I have recently completed three films that will be released back to back.”
TANUJ VIRWANI WEIGHTS INTO THE WELDING DEBATE
When asked about the nepotism debate, Tanuj thinks: “When it comes to the nepotism debate, nepotism definitely exists in our industry. So, which industry does not have nepotism? In a country like India, a doctor’s son will be a doctor and a lawyer’s son will be a lawyer. You don’t see fingers being raised in that direction. It’s it’s a very glamorous industry so these kinds of things come up. I feel nepotism and A list actors as parents can only take you so far. In the beginning they will respect you more or give you a choice and they may also give you a movie. But in the industry If you don’t make any headway, audiences don’t care. At the end of the day, you pay the same amount of money for movie tickets for a star kid as for a non-star kid. So, in the end, it’s the audience that can make or break actors. My mother wasn’t from a second-generation movie family. But she made it on her own because she had what it took . I can benefit from having someone in my home who can share their experiences with me. But if I think that the audience loves my mother and therefore they will love me, I am making a huge mistake. So I am very aware of these pitfalls.”
TANUJ VIRWANI CONSIDERS THE IMPORTANCE OF PHYSICAL FITNESS
Recently, many celebrities have died while working out in the gym. Being an actor who has especially worked on his physique Inner EdgeTanuj states: “I have a very simple foundation; There is a huge difference between looking fit and being fit. I understand that as an actor you are expected to look a certain way. But sometimes these things need to be broken. I feel like there is a writer who puts his thoughts on paper and a director who makes sure everything is moving in the right direction and then the actor acts as a tool to communicate with the audience. I don’t need to look like a bodybuilder, but if my role requires me to get ripped, I owe it to my craft. If the story requires me to be in shape, I have to do it. “I want to tell young people to focus on art instead of just lifting weights,” he said.
TANUJ VIRWANI MAKES IT FEEL THAT SOCIAL MEDIA IS BECOME MORE OF AN ACTION RACE TODAY
There is increasing pressure on influencers and reels in the entertainment industry to be active on social media. When asked for his opinion, Bajao says the actor, “Social media is an extremely powerful tool that can do wonders if used intelligently and wisely. Today it has become more of a rat race because the images and reels people post on social media are not exactly who they are. I think it’s important for young people to have someone they can talk to and explain what the difference is. Be inspired by the people you look up to, but don’t beat yourself up because some things just aren’t real with so much photoshop and filters. I hope and pray that in the future people will use social media for important things that need to be discussed in our society. “The hardest thing in the world is to imitate someone, the easiest thing is to be yourself.”
TANUJ VIRWANI REACTED TO EXPLICIT PROPHESIES AND LOVE SCENES SHOWED IN WEB SHOWS
Digital streaming platforms have been praised for freedom of expression and creativity. The use of profanity, nudity and erotic content was also criticized. On the recent controversy regarding censorship of OTT platforms, Tanuj explains, “Since I am a comic book enthusiast, I will quote Spider-Man’s quote that says, ‘With great power comes great responsibility.’ I too have committed this crime in the past when I was young and naive. I had used abusive language on screen without realizing it would negatively impact the younger generation. So, if you’ve noticed shows like this over the last three years: Bajao I’m trying to change this. shows like Sacred Games, Mirzapur or Paatal Lok There may be certain scenes. But it’s not nice if the sex scenes are unnecessary. The point of having wholesome entertainment is that you can watch it with your entire family. “I think we need to bring the community experience back to our living rooms, and that can only happen if we are morally responsible about the content we want to make.”
