EXCLUSIVE: Tanuj Virwani on working with Rana Daggubati and Venkatesh in Rana Naidu 2, says "It was truly an honour and privilege"

You've worked on several notable projects, including web series and films. What draws you to a particular role or story, and how do you choose your projects?

Tanuj Virwani: I mean, see for me, it boils down to three main factors. First, obviously, the script. I believe script is king. It does not matter whether I'm in five scenes or in 50 scenes. But are my characters, words, and actions affecting the larger storyline? That's something which really intrigues me. How important is my role to the narrative?

Secondly, of course, the entire setup, what OTT platform is a part of the project, who the producers are, who are the technicians working on it, who the director is, the DP, all these things matter, because it's one thing having a good idea. But in order to execute it, you need the correct crew and the correct people to make it, to take things to the next level.

And thirdly, goes without saying, of course, the star cast. Star cast is very, very important. I'm not just talking about face value. Sometimes there may be actors who I really look up to, who may not be the most mainstream actors, may not be the most popular or famous faces out there. But they are people that I want to work with because I am curious to see what the experience would be like.

Since I'm not a trained actor, I'm constantly trying to learn, imbibe, and evolve on the job. And I think when you work with next level talent, it automatically rubs off on you. And you have no option but to raise your game. So these are the three main factors that I look at.

Your performances often showcase your versatility as an actor. Can you tell us about your process for preparing for a role and immersing yourself in the character?

Well, firstly, thank you for the compliment. Yeah, I've always tried to make the most of whatever opportunities come my way and try to keep the slate pretty versatile. That's because I believe if I'm doing the same kind of acting on every show, in every film, it's going to get very monotonous, audience will get bored, I will get bored performing those scenes. I'd rather fail spectacularly by trying something different sometimes than just kind of doing the same thing over and over and being in my comfort zone.

Case in point being, I remember when Inside Edge had come out. So obviously, it had done very well, and my character was appreciated. So I got a lot of offers where they wanted me to play a bad boy, a little bit of an ‘ayyash’ character with a heart of gold, very similar to what Vayu Raghavan is, and I'm like, yeah, if I keep doing this, it's going to get very stale.

And the next time a season of Inside Edge comes by, it's not going to feel earned or special because I'm doing the same acting everywhere. So I consciously try to back it up with a poison and a codem and a tandoor and a cartel, so padding it so every time you come back to Vayu, it's a lot more exciting

For me, it starts off with the way the character thinks, talks, walks, dresses, a lot of different things. I feel as an actor, it is imperative that you are a good judge of human character of people, that you are like a sponge waiting to imbibe wherever you go, in your friend circle, with your family, outsiders, when you travel. It could be just someone sitting at a bus stop, some little random quirk of this. It sometimes consciously stays with you. Sometimes it subconsciously stays with you.

So my character is some of parts that I have experienced in my own life. I try to bring my life experiences to the screen. And sometimes they work, and sometimes they don't.

You will be seen in Rana Naidu Part 2. What can audiences expect from your performances?

Well, firstly, I'm very excited to be part of the show. I was a massive fan of season 1 and I've been pestering Karan Anshuman, ki yaar mujhe role dilwa do (please get me that role). I really want to be part of the show.

Karan and me go back a long way. He's been my original showrunner and director for Inside Edge, so I owe a lot to him. And he specifically wrote this for me and when we discussed it, I thought it would be very fun and a different sort of challenge for me.

I play the character of Chirag Oberoi, so Kriti Kharbanda and me, our brother and sister on this and Rajat Kapoor is our father. And without getting into plot specifics, we're obviously part of this big business family and there's a deal that may or may not be happening the way we intended to, so obviously the eternal fixer Rana comes in to save the day. And that's how our paths cross.

It's been a lot of fun. I've tried to do something different here with my dialogue delivery, with my accent, with just my outlook towards this particular character and I hope it's going to pay off and resonate with the audiences.

How was it working with Rana Daggubati and Venkatesh?

Oh, it's fantastic. It was absolutely phenomenal. In fact, my very first day, I had a massive scene, one-on-one scene with Venkatesh sir. And I still remember he was in a lot of pain. I think he had a back problem, but not for a secondary delay shoot or sit down or, you know, just be like, listen, guys, give me some time. He was a consummate professional. He did not want the shoot to get affected because of his condition and had a lot of fun with him.

I also purposely didn't tell him that I'm my mom's son because I like to forge my own equations with people. And I just, at the end of the day, I think he got to know through one of the ADs that I'm Rati Agnotri's son. And he's like, hey, why did you not tell me? And I'm like, no, sir, I don't know. We were in the zone and I just wanted to kind of connect one-on-one as our characters would.

He was awesome. And well, Rana is amazing. Firstly, a lot of credit to him. You know, there are so many colorful characters. I keep popping in and out of the show and he's got to be consistent and he's got to make sure he doesn't lose character because he is the very backbone of the show. And if even for a second he loses character, he's no longer playing that persona. It's going to adversely, everything's going to come crashing down like a house of cards because then that illusion is broken.

But I must say he's amazing to work with. He's not one of those guys who just gives a shot and goes back to the van. He hangs out on set. He's very affable. He makes the new guys coming on set like I was a newcomer on the set. He made us all feel very, very welcome. It was truly an honour and privilege working with him.

Is there any difference working on a bollywood project visaviz south.

Look. Honestly, this is the second time I'm working. Actually, this is the third time I'm working with, predominantly south, people. I had assisted on a Kamal Haasan film back in the day that was predominantly a South based production.

I've done another South based, which called Puppy Love, it's not come out as yet, but, that was the first time I got to work with, the South industry as an actor. And, truth be told, this time around, apart from the actors, it was largely, Hindi based production, I would say, because most of the people were from here. So I don't see a huge difference, honestly.

I would say they are more punctual, and, they are a little more professional as well overall. Like, I mean, they come more well prepared, but that's not to take anything away from, our film industry either. I just, I just think they do things a little bit better.

We have heard that south is more professional, things are done meticulously. Your opinion?

As I said, I just feel the main thing that they have going for them, which I think needs
a little bit of work in our Hindi film industry, is the sense of timing and occasion and punctuality. Apart from that, even we over here pride ourselves, we work very hard, tirelessly and towards the common goal of making good cinema. So I don't think there's a huge difference between them and us.

How do you balance your personal and professional life, especially in the demanding entertainment industry?

I mean, it's always a challenge. It definitely does help when you have a supportive family, supportive wife, supportive parents, who understand a rigmarole and understand that you do not have the normal 9 to 5 job. There are times when I'm sitting at home on a Monday. There are times when I have to go to work at 7 a.m. on a Sunday. And I just expect them to understand that it's not a typical 10 or 11 or 12-hour day, I could be shooting the graveyard shift. I could be shooting. I mean, recently I shot, oh, I was horrendous time, I shot from 12 a.m. to 12 p.m. and I literally for the three, four days felt in a state of jet lag.

But it's very important that when you come home to your family that they are supportive, that they understand and that they're accepting of the nature of your work. Sometimes I am in a very different mind space because of the character that I'm playing. I'm not one of those actors who can just leave everything on set and come home and be all hunky-dory.

Sometimes when you're playing intense characters and who have faced trauma, who are going through stuff, and you expect to be in a certain zone, it does sort of seep into your life. And one does their best to try and demarcate personal and professional, but sometimes it does come home. So I'm very, very fortunate and blessed that I have a family that is accepting of the nature of my work.

You've worked with various directors and actors throughout your career. What do you think makes a successful collaboration, and how do you build strong working relationships?

I think transparency, honesty, and it's not like you're always going to be on the same page. It's not like you're always going to agree. Sometimes you have to agree to disagree, but you must not lose respect in the process.

I feel filmmaking should be democratic to a certain point, but eventually it is the director who is a captain of the ship who must take the final call. I love being involved from the scripting process. I love being part of the workshops and finding the truth and the character and finding the stuff which may not specifically be written on the page, but I like doing all of this in pre-production.

So, you know what your job is when it's time to shoot, because let's not forget when you're shooting, you're shooting 11 to 12 a day. You've got at least 50, 100, 150, sometimes 200 people on set. That is not the time to kind of experiment. That should be done prior.

You know exactly what is expected of you. I just feel it's important to be honest. I like you when a director approaches me, and he's like, hey, listen, fantastic role. You're in this only for five scenes. I'm like, okay, I appreciate that. Don't come and pitch this to me as a lead performance, and when I watch the show or the film, I'm just then a handful of scenes. That is a very letting down feeling.

I also don't have a management. I handle my own work. I think that makes me more accessible. It also gives the other people, the producers, directors, casting directors, the confidence that, okay, there's no buffer in the middle. Because sometimes I feel when they're middlemen, they're too many cooks, boil the broth. They can also get you amazing opportunities. But I've not had the best of experiences. So I prefer being in the driver's seat of my own career and taking informed decisions based on whatever queries come my way.

So I think these are the things that are imperative. And you have to also understand that we, as a profession, as an industry are very nomadic in nature. I might be shooting for something six, seven months and I'm seeing those people day in and day out, on and off-set pre-production, during shoot, post-production, publicity, and then eventually when the show or the film comes out. And then we go separate ways. That doesn't mean it wasn't real. That just means we got busy and we've got occupied with different things. So you have to be very secure about what your place is in another person's life. Because your parts may and probably will cross, cross again.

What do you have to say about the ott vs theatres tussle? Is it good or bad?

Look at you kind of toss it any kind of friction is good because it keeps us on our toes brings out the best in us, but having said that I do feel that we need to place a lot more importance on the theater going experience. I think it is phenomenal. I've grown up watching films in the dark and whole city with two three four hundred strangers and just feeling those emotions. It is a community experience you know.

On the other hand ODD is a more for single experience you can sit in the comfort of your home on your laptop on your tablet on your phone whatever it is and. Enjoy it you know you can pause whenever you want to you can play whenever you want to you can rewatch it whenever you want to so it's very different.

I believe both have their works but for me as an actor there's not there's no higher privilege than having my film playing on the big screen with a household board outside and people reacting and responding to everything that we intend them to respond to that for me is the ultimate goal and it's phenomenal when it happens it's goosebumps inducing.

Do you think ott is a boon for many actors and also for viewers ? Kindly explain

100%. I mean, case in point being myself, my career was in box office prison. My first three films did not work, and if it were not for OTT, and for Inside Edge, and for the acceptance, and for the reach that that show had, streaming in over 155 countries, I don't think I would be where I am today.

And not just me, a lot of technicians, a lot of actors from theater, from different industries have been able to break through because You know, I feel long format storytelling automatically offers the need for many many more characters and hence a lot more talent across the board. It's this wonderful melting pot between actors coming from television, from film, some curated on OTT platforms themselves and theatre.

So, you know, there are times when I'm on set and I'm shooting these ensemble shows and I'm simultaneously working with film actors and theatre actors and television actors and everyone's got a very different bandwidth. So it's pretty magical because we all have to eventually occupy the same space and make those characters part of that same world. So someone's dialing it down, someone's dialing it up and I find the entire process to be extremely fascinating.

So yeah, of course, I mean, film is always the endgame, is always the highest honor in my opinion, like I stated in my previous answer. But OTT has its own niche and I believe certain stories are best told on OTT, case in point being a show like Patal Lok, Mirzapur, Sacred Games or even my own Inside Edge for that matter. I feel there are a lot more equipped to be an OTT show as opposed to a film. I believe if these stories were told during a course of a 2-2.5 hour film with 3-4 songs and an interval block, it may not have been that effective.

So, yeah, I think both have their perks but I am truly indebted to all the OTT platforms because they have given me and continue to give me an amazing platform and a stage wherein I can come out there and express my creativity and show my skills as an actor.

Your mother, Rati Agnihotri, was a very big star do you remember going on sets? Meeting stars or getting star struck.

Well, sadly, when she was in a prime, I wasn't born. I was very much there for her second innings and I did sporadically visit set. I, you know, I think consciously Maa wanted to keep me off set. She didn't want me to get that one chaska of being a filmy kid. So I literally may have gone like three times. I remember I was on the sets of Yaadev briefly. I had gone when she was shooting this movie called Na Tum Jana Na Hum with Saif Hrithik and Isha Deol.

And yeah, I have a very funny story… So she was shooting a film called Krishna Cottage and it was like this supernatural horror film and all. And I go on set and she's like, she's got, she's attached to a harness and she's hanging like maybe 20 feet up in the air and she's got these freaky blue contact lenses and they've got these three blow fans and she's shrieking while her hair is being pushed at the back.

And I'm like, holy shit, what is going on? I, she just made me breakfast this morning and she's completely normal and now she's looking batshit crazy and completely possessed. What? So that was, yeah, so that was the first time when I truly understood that okay, she's an actor and she's going to be playing all sorts of roles so I need to… I need to wrap my head around that. That was a time and a day that I will never forget. But, yeah, it was amazing.

And, of course, I knew from a young age that she was a very successful actor because, you know, be it in India, be it when we travel to London, Singapore, Dubai, so many different places, people would come up to her and, you know, ask for... In those days, there were no selfies. Everyone would ask for autographs. It was a lot more old school and that's when I knew that, yeah, my mom's a star.

How are new father duties going on? What is the best thing about being a dad?

The last few months have been truly magical and every single day with my daughter and being a father has been a gift, a blessing and something that I'm infinitely grateful for. I don't care about the sleepless nights. I don't care about the diapers. I don't care about any of that stuff.

It's just when you go to bed and when you wake up with your child next to you and you see that… that look on her face, that look of bliss and contentment and knowing that she's safe and secure is the best feeling in the world and you know just watching her grow from that.

Also read: Smriti Irani and Amar Upadhyay's Kyunki Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi 2 to release on July 3: Reports

I mean I was in the operation theatre when Navya was born and I literally saw her being born and every single day ever since has been amazing. We've been fortunate to travel with her. We tried our best to make a very social baby. So everywhere we go, lunches, dinners, anywhere we go, apart from movies, and if the music's too loud, we take her along. And she's been really affable.

It just changes the way you think and changes your perspective on a lot of things in life, and you start valuing certain aspects of your life which you did not enough, maybe, earlier. So I just think it's something automatic. It's not something I've had to consciously work on. It just happened. organically and seamlessly and for that I'm truly blessed and grateful. So it's been my greatest role yet and I can't wait to see what the future holds. Thank you.