Actor Tanuj Virwani, who is seen in the new season of the web series Netflix Rana Naidu, candidly shared his professional journey, personal thoughts and his approach towards acting in an exclusive conversation with IWMBuzz. In this interview, he talked about how every character connects him more to himself, which roles give him a real challenge, and what real success means to him.

“I mean, the fact that I was a massive fan of Season One and the world Karan Anshuman created makes me very excited to be a part of the second season. I know for a fact it’s going to be bigger, wilder, crazier, bolder… and just to have a nice role and to get to play with all these amazing actors is a dream come true for me.”

“Every single project pushes you out of your comfort zone because if it is not testing you and challenging you, then there’s no point being a part of it. Rana Naidu is no different. I have tried to attempt something rather different with my character, the way he talks, the way he walks, his general disposition, and I’m hopeful that the team is happy with this performance.”

“You know, I feel roles which are completely unfamiliar to me, a terrain that is completely unfamiliar to me, a world that I have not inhabited, those are the roles where I need to do a good amount of research. Because otherwise, I will be like a fish out of water. I wouldn’t know how to portray it. If I’m playing a city-based role, something closer to what I was born and raised in Mumbai that is relatively easier for me. But I’m constantly on the lookout for challenging work which helps me test myself and, you know, gets cracking.”

“As long as the script is solid, the role is good, the entire setup and the cast are on point it makes no difference to me whether I am acting in a film, web film, theatrical film, or OTT. It does not matter, because my process remains the same. The truer you are to yourself, to your work, and to the character you need to bring to life, the more your performance will resonate with audiences. I’m not from the school of thought that I will change my style of working or acting based on the medium I’m acting in.”

“It will be difficult for me to boil it down to just one thing that changed. Over time, as you see and live and experience a lot more of life as an actor in this crazy journey, this industry teaches you a lot, I think subconsciously. I also believe that travel, interacting and meeting people from different spheres of life in different places, all over India, all over the world, is extremely vital. Because it’s in those little characteristics, subtle nuances… You get a different perspective on how we’re all the same and yet so unique. And we actors — we’re constantly, consciously or subconsciously, stealing little nitty-gritties from everyone we experience around us.”

“I don’t know… I mean, sometimes people mistake you or expect you to be a certain way based on the kind of characters you’re playing. I remember after a character, everyone thought I would be this arrogant, attitude-type of guy. When they met me, they were like, ‘Oh, we thought you would be like this or like that.’ So I guess that’s good for me as an actor because they bought into the performance. But also, at the same time, I’m not one of those people who can just put every facet of their life out for the world to see, be it interviews, social media, or podcasts. There’s a certain part of me that I like keeping extremely private, which only my near and dear ones know, a certain vulnerability. I think the word is vulnerability, that I possess and guard with my life.”

“I very much consider myself a work in progress. I don’t think I have arrived. I don’t think I’ve discovered myself yet. I discover myself piece by piece, role by role, scene by scene, day by day. It is very much a work in progress. When I look back, I sometimes wonder, ‘What was I thinking? Why did I do this or that?’ Now I have perspective and experience. But what I had back then was joyful abandon. You just go out there… sometimes you run before you can walk. So you just kind of make it up as you go along. Hustle your way through life.”

“I think a couple of them come to mind. One is Inside Edge, which gave me so much more than I expected and changed the course and trajectory of my career. Another one which is very close to my heart but doesn’t get as much of a shout is Tandoor. It was shot during the 2020 lockdown. I specifically gained a lot of weight and locked myself in a room during the duration of the shoot. It was the first time in my career that I played a real-life person, and I did not want to glorify him. He was a murderer. I did not want to justify him or make him seem like a hero in any way. I wanted to present an accurate representation of that, and for that, it required a lot from me. That’s something that was very, very personal to me. I mean, it’s not for me to judge how good or bad I was in that role, but I just know that it gave me a certain level of creative satisfaction.”

“Success is a very relative term. What may be considered successful to one person may be absolute mediocrity to someone else. I think it’s all about your perspective. For me, it’s just peace of mind and the freedom to engage with the kind of talent I’d like — to work on the kind of projects, roles, and with the technicians that I want to. That, for me, far outweighs any monetary compensation. Of course, being famous and being recognised is always wonderful. But I’m just really curious about human beings as a whole and the various personalities that we often get the opportunity to portray onscreen. For me, that is far more exhilarating. So when I get to do a meaty role an ill-handled, flawed role for me, that is fucking success. More than just the number of zeroes in my bank balance.”

Tanuj Virwani’s real success does not lie in any award or fame, but in those characters that shake him from within. Be it Inside Edge or Tandoor.