The long wait for Mirzapur is finally over, as season 3 is dropping on Prime Video tomorrow (July 5). Apart from the lead characters, fans are also excited to see what’s special about Vijay Verma’s character Tyagi. After the death of one of the twins in the last season, Bharat will avenge his brother Shatrughan’s death and create havoc in the Mirzapur universe. In a recent conversation with IndiaToday.in, Vijay spoke about his decision to play a dark role and join the popular Prime Video series.

He explained how an actor often has to walk the thin line between getting work and the fear of being stereotyped. Vijay explained that the boundary is mostly external, because if an actor ever puts himself in a bracket, he will be ruined. “I never let myself feel like that. For the villains, the negative or the dark, they are all such layered characters. The range is huge, and I think all my favourite personalities are those who understand their negativity,” he explained.

Having played several dark roles, the ‘Roar’ actor shared, “I don’t want to talk about it like a business, but I found an opportunity in this space. A lot of actors were not doing such roles, maybe because of the impact it would have on their image. I made a lot of money from it and then explored other things in between. Whether it was Murder Mubarak, Jaane Jaan or Kalkoot, I tried to find other shades. And it’s not just me, it’s the writing. Even in Mirzapur, I am playing two brothers with different shades. I am here to serve. Give me a canvas to paint, and I will paint it.”

Talking about his recent release, Vijay Verma admitted that he got the offer the very next day of Gully Boy’s release (both projects are from Excel Productions). He also revealed that unlike some people, he has never been scared of joining the ensemble cast as he enjoys working with other brilliant actors.

“I signed Mirzapur in 2019, the same week that Gully Boy released. By the time season 2 came out, I had done a lot of work and had a few releases. From an actor’s point of view, anyone would be open to playing a double role. Also, it was a well-crafted machinery and I had seen the fan following of Mirzapur. So it wasn’t a bold choice for me but quite an easy one.”

Calling himself a part of ‘Team Guddu’, Vijay Verma spoke about how much he has loved watching the journey of Ali Fazal’s character over the last two seasons. He said, “The impact he has left is amazing. As a viewer, it is beautiful to watch Guddu’s journey and you will be amazed to see what he has done this time.”

The ‘Darlings’ actor recalled that his mother is also a fan of the series.

Varma said, “I came back home one day and saw my mother and niece watching it. I hadn’t told my family not to watch it. Every time a character used an abuse on screen, my mother would call me back with the same abuse. The next day, I found out that they had watched the whole season, and she kept asking me when the next season would come. They were completely hooked on it. The same happened with the last season as well. I think it’s such an interesting world that you might be skeptical about who it would be for, but people of all ages and strata love it.”

Mirzapur 3, starring actors like Pankaj Tripathi, Rasika Duggal and Shweta Sharma Tripathi, will start streaming from July 5.