Tanuj Virwani is all gaga over his innings on the OTT. After “Inside Edge”, there has been no looking back for him.
Talking about his stint in films and now on OTT, he explains his ten-year long journey in the industry. He also spoke about metrosexual/heterosexual men as his soon to be launched brand “Shaitaan”, which will help men smell good.
Excerpts from interview with Lipika Varma
Elaborate a little bit about Murshid?
This is a series that we're very excited about. I've, in fact, worked with director Shravan sir, earlier for Kamathipura. He always writes really cool and gritty stuff. He doesn't believe in shooting on sets. He likes shooting in real life locations. Sometimes, he casts normal people, instead of actors. It's a different working dynamic. You’re taken out of the safety zone of being on a film set and put in real-life situations. There is a similar experience when working with actors like KK sir, Zakir sir. I think it's a sink or swim sort of situation, where you have no option but to up your game.
Do you feel lucky, with the advent of OTT, as now you are doing well professionally?
Yes, all the actors are able to get some good work. I don't just feel lucky. I feel like I in the second innings of my career. When I came into this industry, people either had films or television to enjoy. I was very clear that I wanted to be an actor. Perhaps, maine apne kaam ko itna seriously liya nahi and I was not probably well trained enough mentally, physically, in every way to deal with the rigmaroles.
Your film “One Night Stand” tanked at the box office. Any regrets?
I still remember, it was May 05, 2016, when my film ‘One Night Stand’ with Sunny Leone was released. We were pretty hopeful about it because we were trying to tell a story about grown-ups. It was different from the other films she was doing. The music was really good but it didn't work at the box office. This was my third flop in a row and then I thought my career was over.
Suddenly, I got a call from Excel and they're like, “hey, listen, you had auditioned for this one show that we're making. The director really likes your work. Can you come in tomorrow? We want to discuss how to take things forward. And that show ended up being ‘Inside Edge’, which revived my career."
Being the son of Rati Agnihotri, how do you look at the industry?
The industry looks very glamorous from outside. Even though my mom's been such a successful actor, I never went on the film sets. So, I did not really know what life on a film set was really like.
I wasn't there even when she came back to the movies in the early 2000s. I was not exposed to that life. She kept me way from it. So, I was in for a rude shock, when I did a couple of movies and they just tanked at the box office.
What is a metrosexual man to you? What do you have to say about it?
I think that self-care is extremely important. When you are clean, people around you feel better. You should take care of yourself. I don’t understand why there is a difference between boys and girls. Even boys need to be clean. We expect our girlfriend or our sister to go to the parlour to be well groomed. In fact, you should have the same expectations for men as well.
Being eye candy for others, he says, “Men also wish to grab some eyeballs. Everyone likes someone who smells nice, who's clean walking into a room.”
How do you differentiate between metrosexual and heterosexual men and differentiate them from the rest?
Honestly, I don't know the difference but I think in today's age, I think an ideal man should be someone who is very well in touch with their feminine side as well. I feel sometimes, we guys tend to overcompensate. Hamein lagta hai ki nahi mard ko dard nahi hota. We have to show our masculinity.
For me personally, if I'm watching a film or there's something, I'm watching in the news or I see in real life and it touches me, I have no qualms in saying that “yeah, I do shed a tear and I do feel upset. You don't have to be shy about it.”
Look at the Deol family. They're the most masculine men out there but they cry the most, they have a strong persona but soft heart.
