Vijay Varma

Vijay Varma
Varma in 2023
Born (1986-03-29) 29 March 1986 (age 38)
Hyderabad, Telangana, India
Alma materFilm and Television Institute of India
OccupationActor
Years active2008–present

Vijay Varma is an Indian actor who works predominantly in Hindi films and series. He graduated from the Film and Television Institute of India, before finding recognition with the crime drama film Pink (2016). This was followed by supporting roles in Middle Class Abbayi (2017), Gully Boy (2019) and Baaghi 3 (2020). His performance in Gully Boy earned him a nomination for the Filmfare Award for Best Supporting Actor. He has since starred in several streaming projects, including Mirzapur (2020–present), Darlings (2022), Dahaad (2023), Kaalkoot (2023) and Jaane Jaan (2023).

Early life and education

Varma was born on 29 March 1986 in a Marwari family settled in Hyderabad, Telangana.[1] He studied at the FTII.[2]

Career

Varma started his acting journey as a theatre artist in his hometown Hyderabad. He worked in numerous plays before he decided to move to Pune for two years to get a formal education in acting at FTII. After finishing his postgraduate course, he shifted his base to Mumbai in search of acting work. His first acting job was in Raj Nidimoru and Krishna DK's short film titled Shor which was highly acclaimed at festivals and won the Best Short Film at the MIAAC festival, in New York that year. He also worked in the critically acclaimed movie Pink.[3]

Media image and artistry

"The only criteria is the script, the role and then the director. I added one more after working for a few years and that was ‘I can’t repeat myself’. I’m trying to kind of mix it up. I’m just very happy that I have a medium, an audience. As long as I have an audience, I want to keep doing good work."

— Varma explaining his approach to film acting[4]

Varma is known for his critically acclaimed roles and while he has successfully portrayed the bad guy on screen many times,[5] he is known for his versatility, with Karan Johar saying, "Vijay Varma's versatility can take him to all kinds of places in the world".[6]

Jitesh Pillai of Filmfare noted, "Vijay is a method actor who somehow fits seamlessly into commercial films." He further praised his "self-deprecating humour".[7] Tatsam Mukherjee of Film Companion stated, "There's something compelling about the way he brings out the dark, repulsive shades of the roles he plays."[8] Prateek Sur of Outlook India praises that actor for his "versatility" and "impactful performances".[9] Praising his "flawless" acting, Akshat Sundrani of India TV News added, "Varma's passion for his craft and outstanding ability to express emotions solidify him as one of the most accomplished performers in the film industry."[10] Bangalore Mirror termed him one of Bollywood’s "most enigmatic and skilled actors".[11] His performance in Gully Boy is regarded as one of the "100 Greatest Performances of the Decade" by Film Companion.[12]

Filmography

Key
† Denotes films that have not yet been released

Films

  • All films are in Hindi unless otherwise noted.
Year Title Role Notes Ref
2008 Shor Ramesh Short film
2012 Chittagong Jhunku (Subodh Roy)
2013 Rangrezz Pakkya
2014 Gang of Ghosts Robin Hoodda
2016 Pink Ankit Malhotra
2017 Monsoon Shootout Aditya "Adi"
Raag Desh Jamal Kidwai
MCA Siva Shakti Telugu film
2018 Manto Ansaar Shabnam Dil
2019 Gully Boy Moeen Arif
Super 30 Fugga Kumar Special appearance
2020 Ghost Stories Guddu Zoya Akhtar's segment
Baaghi 3 Akhtar Lahori
Bamfaad Jigar Fareedi
Yaara Rizwan Sheikh
2022 Hurdang Loha Singh
Darlings Hamza Shaikh
2023 Lust Stories 2 Vijay Chauhan Segment: "Sex With Ex "
Jaane Jaan Inspector Karan Anand
2024 Murder Mubarak Aakash Dogra [13][14]
Suriya43† TBA Tamil film [15]
Ul Jalool Ishq† TBA Filming [16]

Television

Year Title Role Notes Ref
2018 Cheers-Friends, Reunion, Goa Ciggy
2020 A Suitable Boy Rasheed [17]
She Sasya
2020–present Mirzapur Bharat Tyagi / Shatrughan Tyagi Season 2,3
2021 OK Computer Saajan Kund
2023 Dahaad Anand Swarnakar [18]
Kaalkoot SI Ravi Shankar Tripathi [19]
2024 IC 814: The Kandahar Hijack Captain Sharan [20]

Awards and nominations

List of award nominations and awards won by Vijay Varma
Year Award Category Film Result Ref.
2019 26th Screen Awards Best Supporting Actor Gully Boy Nominated
2020 65th Filmfare Awards Best Supporting Actor Nominated [21]
2023 Bollywood Hungama Style Icons Most Stylish Emerging Icon — Won [22]
Most Stylish Breakthrough Talent (Male) — Nominated
Filmfare OTT Awards Best Actor in a Series (Critics) Drama Dahaad Won [23]
Best Actor in a Drama series Nominated
Best Actor (Web Original Film) Darlings Nominated

References

  1. ^ Pillaai, Jitesh (8 November 2023). "Exclusive: "I am very easy to be with. I like and enjoy doing simple things," says Vijay Varma". Filmfare. I belong to a Marwari family (...)
  2. ^ "Vijay Varma -Actor Biography". Archived from the original on 18 August 2018. Retrieved 9 September 2018.
  3. ^ "Pink is a social thriller: Amitabh Bachchan". 11 September 2020.
  4. ^ "Vijay Varma says he 'won't repeat' himself, reveals criterion for choosing projects". Indian Express. 20 July 2023. Retrieved 25 November 2023.
  5. ^ "GQ Hype: The Rise of Vijay Varma". GQ India. 30 September 2022. Retrieved 25 October 2023.
  6. ^ "'Vijay Varma's versatility can take him to all kinds of places in the world". Times of India. 11 August 2023.
  7. ^ "I am very easy to be with. I like and enjoy doing simple things: Vijay Varma". Filmfare. 8 November 2023. Retrieved 15 November 2023.
  8. ^ "The Rough Magnetism of Vijay Varma". Film Companion. 29 March 2023. Retrieved 22 September 2023.
  9. ^ "5 towering performances of Vijay Varma that prove his range as an actor". Outlook India. 8 August 2023. Retrieved 11 August 2023.
  10. ^ "Reign of Vijay Varma: Bollywood's 'Darling' who continues to captivate audiences with his acting". India TV News. 23 June 2023. Retrieved 29 August 2023.
  11. ^ "It Gets Intense - Vijay Varma". Bangalore Mirror. 4 October 2023. Retrieved 29 November 2023.
  12. ^ "100 Greatest Performances of the Decade". Film Companion. Archived from the original on 19 December 2019. Retrieved 14 November 2020.
  13. ^ "Vijay Varma wraps up the dubbing for 'Murder Mubarak' with a punch of 'mad energy'". The Times of India. 15 November 2023.
  14. ^ "Murder Mubarak: Vijay Varma, Sara Ali Khan & Karishma Kapoor starrer 'Murder Mubarak' directly to release on Netflix skipping theatrical release". BruTimes.
  15. ^ "Suriya, Dulquer Salmaan, Vijay Varma to unite for Sudha Kongara's next Suriya43". Hindustan Times. 26 October 2023. Retrieved 12 November 2023.
  16. ^ "Vijay Varma, Fatima Sana Shaikh starrer Ul Jalool Ishq to go on floors in Amritsar: Report". Bollywood Hungama. 8 January 2024. Retrieved 8 January 2024.
  17. ^ "BBC - Cast announced for BBC One's A Suitable Boy, the first screen adaptation of Vikram Seth's classic novel - Media Centre". www.bbc.co.uk. Archived from the original on 5 September 2019. Retrieved 6 October 2019.
  18. ^ "Dahaad teaser: Cop Sonakshi Sinha pursues a serial killer who has murdered 27 women. Watch". The Indian Express. Archived from the original on 29 April 2023. Retrieved 29 April 2023.
  19. ^ "Kaalkoot Teaser: Vijay Varma plays police officer set to catch acid attackers; Tamannaah Bhatia REACTS". Pinkvilla. 13 July 2023. Retrieved 28 August 2023.
  20. ^ "IC 814 The Kandahar Hijack teaser: Vijay Varma, Naseeruddin Shah, Pankaj Kapur lead Netflix series on harrowing incident". The Indian Express. 3 August 2024.
  21. ^ "Nominations for 65th Amazon Filmfair Awards 2020". Filmfare. Archived from the original on 3 February 2020. Retrieved 18 February 2020.
  22. ^ "Check out the complete list of winners of the Bollywood Hungama Style Icon Awards". Bollywood Hungama. Retrieved 14 April 2023.
  23. ^ "Winners Of The Filmfare OTT Awards 2023: Full List Out". filmfare.com. Retrieved 27 November 2023.
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