Tanuj Virwani: ‘KL Rahul And Hardik Pandya Are Fearless Who Come With Tattoos, Yet They Are Able to Walk The Talk’ | Exclusive

Exclusive: Tanuj Virwani opens up on his love for cricket, fitness and his passion towards his craft in an interaction with India.com.

Tanuj Virwani on Playing a Cricketer, Censorship in OTT Space And More: Tanuj Virwani is known for playing Vayu Raghavan in the popular sports series Inside Edge. His depiction of Vayu was hailed in the series, co-starring Richa Chadha, Aamir Bashir, Sayani Gupta, Sapna Pabbi and Vivek Oberoi in crucial roles. The actor who was recently seen in the web show Bajao, spoke about his transformation from portraying bad-boy roles to simpleton characters in an exclusive interaction with India.com. He stressed on the need for wholesome family entertainment when it comes to digital streaming platforms. Tanuj spoke about fitness, importance of social media and his love for gangster genre.

TANUJ VIRWANI STRESSES ON THE IMPORTANCE OF VERSATILITY FOR ACTORS

Speaking about his character in Bajao, Tanuj says, “I have been an active part of the OTT landscape since 2016, that’s when I started shooting for Inside Edge. Since past 6-7 years, I have either worked in sports drama or dark and gritty stories. Bajao has comic element but not slapstick comedy. The mad cap going vibe in the series resonated with me. After Inside Edge people wanted me, play do boy-next-door roles or bad boy vibes with brash stuff. My character Ved in Bajao is very pure soul who thinks straight from his heart. There are no shades of grey where you would see a conniving or manipulating character. As an actor it is important to do diverse roles as you build your body of work”.

TANUJ VIRWANI REVEALS ABOUT HIS FAVORITE CRICKETERS

When quizzed about taking inspirations from real life sportsmen while shooting for Inside Edge, the actor states that, “As an actor you are always observing certain character traits and mannerisms. While working on the character of Vayu what really helped was that I happen to be a fan of cricket in real life since I was very young. I have observed so many cricketers like Tendulkar, Ganguly, Laxman, MSD and then we had Virat Kohli. I think when Virat Kohli came in, just the entire culture, emphasis on fitness changed. These guys are fearless, who come with abs, tattoos and crazy haircuts but they are able to walk the walk and talk the talk as well. I wanted to inculcate all these characteristics of the modern-day cricketers like KL Rahul, Hardik Pandya and Ravindra Jadeja.”

TANUJ VIRWANI OPENS UP ON HIS FUTURE PROJECTS

Tanuj started his career with theatrical releases, but off lately he has only been seen in the web space. He tells, “As an actor as long as I have a good character and story along with a supporting cast, it does not matter whether it’s OTT or theatrical releases. Having said that, yes, when I decided to become an actor, it was primarily to work in films because we didn’t have the option of web series and OTT platforms back in 2012-13. In the long-run I would like to have a career where I’m a part of both theatrical releases and web series. Also, today the lines have blurred as actors like Manoj Bajpayee, Shahid Kapoor and R Madhavan have made their digital debut. There are certain stories that work well in longer format while some films are mean for larger-than-life entertainment. I don’t think too many people will be interested in watching Pathaan as a web series. Inside Edge has given me a new lease of life but I have also recently completed three films which would be releasing back-to-back”.

TANUJ VIRWANI WEIGHS IN ON THE NEPOTISM DEBATE

On being quizzed about the nepotism debate, Tanuj opines, “When it comes to nepotism debate, sure there is nepotism in our industry. But which industry does not have nepotism? In a country like India doctor’s son will become a doctor, lawyer’s son will become a lawyer. You don’t see fingers being raised in that direction. This is a much glamorous industry, which is why these things get brought up. I feel nepotism and having A-list actors as parents can get you only so far. They will initially treat you with more respect or grant an audition and may also give you a film. But if you are not able to earn your strides in the industry, the audience does not care. At the end of the day, you are paying the same amount of money for the movie ticket of a star kid as opposed to a non-star kid. So, it is the audience who can finally make or break actors. My mother was not from a second-generation film family. But she made it on her own because she had what it takes. I can capitalise on the fact that I have someone in my home who can pass on their experience to me. But if I think that the audience loves my mother so they will love me too, then I am making a huge mistake. So, I am very aware of those pitfalls”.

TANUJ VIRWANI REFLECTS ON THE IMPORTANCE OF PHYSICAL FITNESS

Recently many celebs died while working out in the gym. Being an actor who has worked on his physique especially during Inside Edge, Tanuj points out, “I have a very simple funda that 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 those things need to be broken. I feel there is a writer who pours his thoughts on paper and a director who makes sure everything is moving in the right direction and then the actor acts like a vessel to communicate to the audiences. I don’t need to look like a bodybuilder but if my role demands me to be ripped then I owe it to my craft. If the story demands me to be out of shape, I need to do that. I would like to tell the youngsters to focus on the art instead of just lifting weights.”.

TANUJ VIRWANI FEELS SOCIAL MEDIA HAS BECOME MORE OF A RAT RACE IN PRESENT TIMES

At a time on influencers and reels, there is growing pressure in the entertainment business about being active on social media. When asked about his opinion, the Bajao actor says, “Social media is an extremely powerful tool which can work wonders if used wisely and smartly. It has become more of a rat race today because the kind of pictures and reels people put on social media is not exactly who they are. I feel it is important for youngsters to have someone they can talk to so that they can be told what the difference is. Be influenced by people you look up to but don’t beat yourself up because certain things are not real with so much photoshopping and filters. I wish and hope that in future people use social media for important things that need to be discussed in our society. The hardest thing in the world is to ape someone and the easiest thing is to be yourself”.

TANUJ VIRWANI REACTS TO OVERT EXPLETIVES AND LOVEMAKING SCENES DEPICTED IN WEB SHOWS

Digital streaming platforms have been hailed for freedom of expression and creativity. At the same time use of foul language, nudity and erotic content has also been criticised. On the recent debate over censorship of OTT platforms, Tanuj explains, “Since, I’m a comic book geek, I’m going to quote the line from Spider-Man which goes as, ‘With great power comes great responsibility’. I have also been guilty of this in the past when I was younger and naïve. I had used abusive language on-screen without realising it would negatively influence the younger generation. So, if you noticed in the past three years with shows like Bajao I’m trying to change that. Shows like Sacred Games, Mirzapur or Paatal Lok may have certain scenes. But unnecessary to have lovemaking scenes is not nice. The need to have wholesome entertainment is that you can watch it with your entire family. I feel we need to bring the community experience back to our living rooms which can only happen if we become morally responsible about the content we want to make”.