Actor Vijay Varma tells Chahak Mittal that just as humans try to steal others’ experiences and recreate them in their own lives, an actor’s versatility comes from the various shoes he steps into

It was probably Zoya Akhtar’s “insightful eye” with which she observed actor Vijay Varma’s versatility and acting skills and welcomed him on board the cast of Gully Boy. The character of Moeen has become a favourite with just a handful of scenes and has been also receiving immense appreciation for his role as Ranveer Singh’s friend and conscience-keeper.

The actor believes that when he was given the dialogues to prepare, the audition went well and he indeed did “a fairly well job.” However, the most special part, he says, was Zoya’s eye for detail and content that mattered. “It’s great to work with a director like her. She respects hard work and has a heart for quality. It’s important to have such directors around,” says he.

Vijay has played characters that were completely different in films like Chittagong, Monsoon Shootout and Pink previously. Preparing for his role in Gully Boy was another challenge, he says. “It needed a lot of internal and mental work to understand and fit into the world that the filmmakers wanted to portray in the film. From being a garage mechanic, drug peddler, and even a thief amidst the dark, Moeen had a lot of personalities rather than just one. He knew his punishment was justified. He used kids for labour but gave them a roof over their heads. He was a good friend too. So, there was a great deal of emotional work,” says Vijay and goes on to add that picking up the language and accent also had to be worked upon. “I spoke to a lot of local slum people in order to understand and catch their terminology and bring out that worn out feeling in my character.”

Seminal roles sometimes also shape actors as people and change their outlook on life. Vijay tells us what this role had taught him. He says, “You do get a better insight in certain segments and geography, about which you might have never thought before. It makes you delve deeper into things unfamiliar to you. As humans, we are always trying to find inspiration from other people, moments and places. We try to steal experiences from others’ lives and try to recreate them in our own. Similarly, an actor also lives many lives and tries to imitate some of them in reality — the ones which they find worth recreating or living for.”

While talking about Gully Boy as a film, he feels that it is important to create and show films with such themes. He says that it is “captivating” and “immersive” in the sense that it shows reality and connects with common people. “It’s about their dreams and struggles. It’s also important to acknowledge street artists like these since they never receive recognition and applause for their amazing talent. They are despised even by their own families. It’s not considered as an art,” says he.

For Vijay, there’s no particular genre that he fits in perfectly, rather he believes that if he’d be given a role in any kind — suspense, action, dark comedy, thriller — he would certainly give his best and “do a good job.”