Vijay Varma interview: On ‘IC 814: The Kandahar Hijack’, being an outsider and playing leads

As Vijay Varma turns to heroic roles, after playing some acutely twisted men on screen, the versatile actor talks about his craft and concerns

After watching Vijay Varma’s performance in Anubhav Sinha’s IC 814: The Kandahar Hijack, one wonders how such a malleable face is kept out of the limelight for almost a decade.

As a silent negotiator whose movement is restricted and who only has a windscreen to look at, the versatile actor ensures that the human drama plays out on his face. The role of the unsung hero has come after Vijay has earned the reputation of a dashing chameleon with Mirzapur, Dahaad, and Darlings.

Born in a business family in Hyderabad, Vijay was noticed in 2013 when Monsoon Shootout made headlines at Cannes. Critics felt that the industry has found its new Vijay but the actor remained stuck in the Bollywood pipeline before he sauntered into the mainstream with Gully Boy. The Zoya Akhtar film instilled in him the value of a powerful ensemble.

“I am not crazy about screen time. Anubhav (Sinha) sir checked my temperament to do an ensemble but I was game. Getting to play a fairly simple, noble, and heroic character was a welcome change for me after playing some extremely twisted men,” chuckles Vijay.

Not keen on getting his talent bracketed, Vijay says, “Commercial or not commercial, what I am doing now is the new Bollywood. You can call it Bollygood.”

Excerpts from an interview...

One can’t be unearthed unless the camera is put on you. In many ways, we are still in a rat race. I can explain it allegorically. If there is a four-way track to travel from one point to another in the film industry, three tracks are clogged with trains that should not have been there on the tracks. But an outsider like me is not allowed to use those tracks. The argument often given by a section is that the public decides but when you keep the track occupied for five-seven years, the public has little to choose from and those waiting, keep struggling on the one track they are left with. But once you get success you can flip between any of the tracks.