Growing up in a family where there are constant fights, it can be hard to speak up for yourself. And that’s why this actor left his home. Known as one of the finest character actors in Bollywood, this actor is now a Bollywood heartthrob, and we’re not even complaining. If you still can’t guess, this actor played a double role in Prime Video’s hit series Mirzapur.
We think you guessed it right; today we are talking about rising star Vijay Varma. Following his success with 2016’s Pink, Vijay went on to star in several other successful titles, including Middle-Class Abbay (2017), Gully Boy (2019), and Baaghi 3 (2020). What worked in his career’s favour the most was when the actor signed up to play the role of the Tyagi brothers in the popular show Mirzapur (2020-Present).
For those who don’t know, Vijay Varma began his acting career as a theatre artist in Hyderabad before moving to Pune for formal acting training at FTII. Soon after, the charming artist moved to Mumbai and landed a role in the acclaimed short film Shor, which also won the Best Short Film award at New York’s MIAAC Festival.
In an old interview with Film Companion, Vijay had once revealed that he ran away from home due to tensions with his father. The Rangrezz actor shared that he was the youngest in the family and hence was ‘spoilt’. After a certain age, Vijay started having a series of ideas of his own which his father did not like.
“He wanted me to join the business, and I wanted to do anything else except work with him. So, that’s where the conflict started, and he was firm on his stance, and I was fighting for my stance. This went on for years until I decided ‘I don’t think this man wants good for me’, then I ran away from home,” Verma said.
In another interview with Galatta Plus, Vijay once shared how his financial crunch forced him to take up roles even when he didn’t want to. “Once, when I was at my lowest, I had no money. I had Rs 18 in my bank account, and a call came,” Vijay revealed, adding that he was asked to play the role of a small-time reporter for a day’s shoot and was being paid Rs 3000.
The Yaara actor admitted that he would never have done it if he hadn’t had financial troubles. The actor revealed that while he was shooting, he was not feeling like it, so he was stammering a lot, which led to him being immediately thrown out of the set. “I had finished Monsoon shootout by that time, so I had done the lead role by then, but I went through that experience, and I was crying while coming back; I told myself that I will never do anything for money,” Verma told.
Over the years, Vijay has featured in some of the best films that have defined his career, such as Darlings, Lust Stories 2, Jaane Jaan, Murder Mubarak, Roar, Kalakoot and many more. All of these have given the actor a new and credible foothold in the industry, and it seems like all his struggles have come to pay off his due.
38-year-old Vijay will soon be seen in Surya43, Ul Jalool Ishq and IC 814: The Kandahar Hijack. Do you also like Vijay’s work? Let us know @pinkvilla
Also read: Mirzapur 3: Vijay Verma aka Tyagi says he made a lot of fortune from dark roles; ‘Not a lot of actors were doing it because…’