From his success in Cannes with "Monsoon Shootout" to taking a rickshaw to the private terminal and sharing a charter plane with Amitabh Bachchan, actor Vijay Varma says his career has been full of surprising twists and turns, with periods of inactivity in between.
Like his character Brij Bhatti in the upcoming series "Matka King," who navigates the ups and downs of fortune, Varma says his own journey in the entertainment industry has been anything but straightforward.
“The first film festival I attended was Cannes with ‘Monsoon Shootout,’ before it was released. I couldn't have imagined a bigger success, but after that, I spent several years doing nothing. That was also a surprise,” Varma told
For his 2016 film "Pink," in which he played a negative role, Varma travelled to Delhi with co-star Amitabh Bachchan for a special screening with then-President Pranab Mukherjee, he recalled.
“I remember taking a rickshaw from home to the private terminal. Then, I took a private charter flight with Mr. Bachchan and went there. After that, I came back from the flight, took a rickshaw, and returned home. It was a wonderful experience,” he said.
After "Pink," Varma appeared in several films, including Tigmanshu Dhulia’s “Raag Desh”, Nandita Das’s “Manto”, and the Telugu film “Middle Class Abbayi”, alongside Nani and Sai Pallavi.
“But then, there were periods of inactivity until ‘Gully Boy’ happened, which was a significant turning point,” he added.
"Gully Boy," a 2019 musical drama starring Ranveer Singh and Alia Bhatt, proved to be a game-changer for Varma, who received critical acclaim for his portrayal of Moeen Arif, a street thief who is a close friend of Singh's aspiring rapper, Murad.
“The first time I heard people calling my name, my character's name, that's when I realized what a successful film can do for you. It not only benefits one person but everyone involved,” Varma said.
Since "Gully Boy," Varma has continued to work on several projects, including a supporting role in Mira Nair’s "A Suitable Boy", a dual role in "Mirzapur", playing a husband in "Darlings", a police officer in "Jaane Jaan", a serial killer in "Dahaad", a pilot in "IC 814", and a romantic lead in "Gustaakh Ishq".
Varma says his constant effort has been to avoid being “boxed into specific roles”.
“From having no work to taking on smaller roles and then being restricted to them, it was difficult to break free and do something beyond a small part or a friend who is just offering support. But they offered me a major villain role, and they placed me in that role very strongly,” he said.
“I thought, ‘I'm capable of more than this. I can do something else,’ and I always try to break out of those situations,” Varma added.
This is something that Varma finds strikingly familiar in his character Brij Bhatti from "Matka King", who struggles to challenge the class divide within the world of gambling.
The upcoming show is directed by Nagraj Manjule and created and written by Abhay Koranne.
“He doesn't believe that only rich people should be allowed to gamble because it's fun for them, while poor people shouldn't be allowed because it's considered morally wrong,” Manjule said.
“Matka King” follows the story of Brij Bhatti, a sharp-minded and enterprising cotton trader, who navigates the changing landscape of 1960s Bombay in pursuit of legitimacy and respect.
Varma said he knew little about the world of Matka, a numbers-based gambling racket, when the makers approached him.
The actor added that he agreed to be a part of the project because of his desire to work with Manjule, known for critically-acclaimed movies such as "Fandry", "Sairat" and "Jhund".
“Usually, every actor says that I want to work with this director, but I was genuinely enthusiastic about this man,” Varma said.
Varma describes “Matka King” as his “most mature and responsible” work to date. The show is set to debut on Prime Video on April 17.
“I’ve truly understood what it means to collaborate with your filmmaker and producer, and to be part of the entire process, from filming to marketing. I’ve been trying to learn more and more skills as I grow. I’ve matured a bit,” he said.
"Matka King" also features Kritika Kamra, Gulshan Grover, Sai Tamhankar, Siddharth Jadhav, Girish Kulkarni, and Jamie Lever.
The series is produced by Siddharth Roy Kapur, Nagraj Popatrao Manjule, Gargi Kulkarni, Ashwini Sidwani, and Ashish Aryan, under the banners of Roy Kapur Films, Aatpat, and SMR Productions.