Vijay Varma will soon be seen as Alia Bhatt’s husband in Darlings. The actress is making her OTT debut in the film which also stars Shefali Shah and is directed by Jasmeet K Reen. Co-produced by Shah Rukh Khan’s Red Chillies Entertainment and Alia’s Eternal Sunshine Productions, it will premiere on Netflix on August 5. The Free Press Journal caught up with Vijay for an exclusive chat. Excerpts:
What are you doing in Darlings? We are not able to identify who the villain is.
We have shown something in the trailer but have not shown a lot. This is the sign of a good trailer and film. When the cast was announced, Alia, Shefali and I all felt it was an interesting casting. The story is good so we all got together like a beehive of honeybees. My character Hamza works as a TC and he’s doing a government job. I went on the sets for the first day and the legend Anil Mehta made a frame telling me that I have to clean the toilet in the first take.
How was the experience working with Alia and Shefali?
I saw Shefali in Monsoon Wedding. Looking at her impressive eyes we were all sure no one could perform better than her. I knew she was a great actor and Alia was good in Gangubai Kathiawadi. I know they are great actors and you will be able to play well to perform well. When the script is written well, the crew members get hungry to give their best. We have the creative energies flowing and we want to give more so we keep planning to add something better. Working with them is great and easier because whatever you do you will get an excellent reaction from them. You know that they will react in an original and truthful reaction.
Were you pampered working with a woman director?
I was pampered to a certain degree and on the sets. But during the shoot, I was not pampered. In the frame wahan par meri pitayi bhi hui hai.
Do you approach filmmakers?
Once I did have a desire to work with a few filmmakers, it got fulfilled slowly and gradually without doing anything much in that direction. I had a desire to work with Imtiaz Ali, Zoya Akhtar and Tigmanshu Dhulia. Now, I am working with Sujoy Ghosh in The Devotion Of Suspect X alongside Jaideep Ahlawat and Kareena Kapoor Khan.
What are you playing in that?
It is based on a Japanese novel. There are three main characters played by Kareena, Jaideep and me. I play a police officer's role.
What are your future projects?
There is a film called Afghani Snow. A show with Sonakshi Sinha titled Dahaad. It is by Reema Kagti. Then there is a show which is tentatively titled, M For Mafia. I am the lead in it.
Have you had any interaction with Shah Rukh?
I received a sweet phone call from him while he was in London. He watched the film and called me. He said, “Yaar Vijay kaise ho?” He was impressed and happy and thanked me for doing this film. For me, it’s an honour to work with such an incredible superstar. He also compared my work with Satish Shah's film Jaane Bhi Do Yaaro. Probably he will meet us after he comes back.
