‘I did not want to become a hero’s brother or a heroine’s friend’: Tanuj Virwani

For Tanuj Virwani, the past decade has been anything but predictable. He began his career in films but has since worked in television, streaming productions and reality shows. His breakthrough as Vayu Raghavan in Inside Edge changed how audiences and the industry viewed him, while projects such as Code M, Tandoor, Cartel and, most recently, Jumper have allowed him to explore markedly different characters.

“The last 10–12 years have really, really been a roller coaster ride,” Virwani says. He started out intending to work only in films, but his career and life “had other plans”. He has learnt not to be too rigid: “The more fluid you are, the more open your mindset is to trying new things and exploring new territory.”

“At this point, I feel I want to just continue growing as an artist, as an actor, as an entertainer, and find that sweet spot between art and commerce,” he says.

A career-changing role

For Virwani, Inside Edge remains the defining turning point of his career. “Prior to that show, I was in career prison,” he says. “I was very clear that I did not want to become a hero’s brother or a heroine’s friend.”

Several people advised him against accepting the project, but he trusted his instinct. The decision, he says, changed how audiences and the industry viewed him. It gave him “a lot more street cred” and opened doors.

Virwani also credits showrunner Karan Anshuman with helping him rediscover himself as an actor. “He helped me access levels that I, until that point, did not even know existed. For that, I will be forever grateful.”

After the first season, however, he received several offers to play versions of the same brash “bad boy” with a heart of gold.

“Diversity is something that I pride myself in. I don’t ever want to write myself into a corner,” he says. He had to remind himself to let such roles go or risk becoming “a one-trick pony”.

Being selective resulted in a 13-month gap between his previous release and Jumper, but Virwani says he cannot accept “anything and everything”.

“Good roles, good projects, things that really inspire you as an artist are few and far between,” he says. He hopes to find roles that require him to unlearn old habits, acquire new skills and discover new dimensions of acting.

Lessons from a demanding industry

Virwani admits that he underestimated the industry when he entered it. “I was a total rookie when I joined the industry, and I thought it’s going to be easy-peasy. My mom’s a star. How difficult can it be?”

 

He soon discovered how demanding the profession could be. Virwani says an actor must be ziddi (stubborn), consistent, hungry and desperate, and must deliver regardless of how they feel.

A decade in the industry has also taught him that neither success nor failure is permanent. “Nothing lasts forever; neither failure nor success does. There will be change; it’s the only constant.”

The fan following, money, fame and other perks of being an actor are welcome, he says, but cannot replace a love for the craft. “The day you are no longer in love with the craft, with acting itself, that’s the beginning of the end.”

A parkour-trained cable operator

In Jumper, Virwani plays Johnny Jumper, a cable operator and parkour expert in Bhopal who occasionally assists the police. The character’s work takes him across the terraces of the city’s congested buildings as he adjusts antennas and checks cable connections in the neighbourhood.

“He’s not actually an undercover operative per se, but he does help the police,” Virwani says. After certain events in the film, Johnny must put his mental and physical abilities to the test and solve a crime before it overwhelms him.

Virwani describes the film as a race against time in which Johnny has little opportunity to stop and plan. “Sometimes, you have to jump before you can walk.”

He identifies with Johnny’s lively, energetic personality, but says the character’s circumstances are far removed from his own.

“I was born and raised in Mumbai, while this character comes from a completely different terrain, society, societal structure and economic background.”

Preparing for the role therefore required him to move beyond his own experiences. “To fill your cup, you have to empty it first. I had to unlearn a few things about myself and tackle the role from a fresh perspective.”

Learning from veteran performers

The opportunity to work with Vijay Raaz helped persuade Virwani to accept Jumper. “The main reason I agreed to do this film was that Vijay Raaz had already been cast,” he says.

Although their characters interact largely over the phone and the actors shot their scenes together for only about a day, Virwani found the experience memorable. “How do you get better at acting? You work with the best. You work with people you look up to.”

He also worked with Brijendra Kala and Zakir Hussain, with whom he had previously appeared in Murshid.

“Brijendra Kala was a lot of fun, very lively and very unpredictable. You never know what he’s going to say because he improvises a lot, so you have to be ready.”

While Inside Edge remains his biggest career success, other projects tested him differently. Filming for Cartel began before the pandemic and continued through several phases of Covid-19, making the project physically, emotionally and mentally demanding.

Tandoor presented another challenge because he portrayed a real person for the first time. As the character was drawn from real life rather than being wholly fictional, Virwani found the experience emotionally draining. That variety keeps him interested.

 

What comes next

Virwani hopes to work with actors Pankaj Tripathi, Nawazuddin Siddiqui, Naseeruddin Shah, Ranveer Singh, Ranbir Kapoor, Vicky Kaushal, Amitabh Bachchan and Shah Rukh Khan. His list of filmmakers includes Rajkumar Hirani, Imtiaz Ali, Anurag Kashyap and Sanjay Leela Bhansali.

“I just feel if something is destined to happen, it will happen,” he says. “In the meantime, I’m just going to make the most of whatever opportunities come my way.”

He has several projects lined up after Jumper. In an Applause show tentatively titled DAU: Domestic Anti-Terrorism Unit, he plays an Assistant Commissioner of Police alongside Rahul Dev. Virwani describes it as a gritty, Mumbai-based crime saga.

He will also appear opposite Tridha Choudhury in the romantic comedy Besabriyaan. The role, he says, will show him in “a very different light” as he continues trying to keep his work fresh and varied.

Despite spending more than a decade in the industry, Virwani says no single milestone defines his career.

“I don’t think there’s just one milestone. There are plenty more,” he says. “I definitely have a lot of milestones and a lot to do before I rest, most certainly.”

Asked to choose one actor he would like to work with, he names Nawazuddin Siddiqui; his preferred filmmaker is Sandeep Vanga Reddy. His dream role is Shah Rukh Khan’s character in Baazigar, while Badlapur is the film he wishes he had been part of. He would also like to explore a historical project. Given a choice of release formats, he prefers a theatrical release that later moves to a streaming platform.