breaking moment for
all of us when I left
home to pursue my
dreams. But I made
myself strong because
I wanted to do what
I loved,” he shares.H
e made his
debut with
Raj Nidimoru
and Krishna
DK’s short
film titled Shor in 2008,
which won the Best Short
Film at MIAAC festival,
New York that year. His
first feature film was
Bedabrata Pain’s award-
winning Chittagong
(2012), in which he
played a revolutionary.
His other films include
Priyadarshan’s drama
Rangrezz (2013), Satish
Kaushik’s comedy Gang
Of Ghosts (2016) and
Amit Kumar’s cop drama
Monsoon Shootout
(2017). Vijay shot into the
limelight with Aniruddha
Roy’s Pink in 2016. Hisact of a rich brat, who
molests a girl, had the
right dose of vile and
menace. It also featured
him opposite Amitabh
Bachchan, a golden
opportunity for any
aspirant. “My father still
believes business would
have been a better choice
for me as a profession,” he
grins.“But he’s happy that
I’ve made something of
my life. And once you’ve
worked with Amitabh
Bachchan, well then
that’s the gold standard
of having arrived. So
yeah, he’s pleased now.”
Recently, he was loved
in the cameo in Nandita
Das’ Manto, where he
played a young writer.
He’s excited about his
upcoming release, Ranjan
Chandel’s Bamfaad
(explosive) based in the
Uttar Pradesh hinterland
and a web series directed
by Imtiaz Ali, which he
reveals isn’t a love story.
As reports suggest, he has
also been approached to
play Roger Binny, one
of the most successful
bowlers in the 1983
World Cup in Kabir
Khan’s much-hyped ’83.
This could well be his
second collaboration with
Ranveer Singh. Says he,
“I can fit in all genres. I’m
open to doing anything
and everything.” We
believe that too. what he prizes most is the
complimentary message
he received from the
original ‘angry young
man’ Amitabh Bachchan,
whose various portrayals
as ‘Vijay’ are etched
in cinematic memory.
“Praise coming from the
real Vijay, Amitji, who
has ruled cinema for
more than 50 years, is the
biggest validation an actor
can look for,” he beams.
Vijay started his
acting journey as a
theatre artiste in his
hometown Hyderabad.
He worked on numerous
plays before he decided
to move to Pune to get a
formal education in acting
at the Film and Television
Institute of India (FTII).
His conservative Marwari
parents were upset when
he left home to pursue an
uncertain career. Since he
had no money, his friend
funded his acting course.
“I was such a pampered
child. It was a heart-ÅMonsoon
ShootoutÇPinkMY FATHERSTILL BELIEVES
BUSINESS WOULD HAVE BEEN
A BETTER CHOICE FOR ME.BUT ONCE YOU’VE WORKED WITH
AMITABH BACHCHAN (PINK),
WELL THEN THAT’S THE GOLD
STANDARD OFHAVING ARRIVED