received a lot of appreciation from the fans and critics for his performance as Brij Bhatti in the show Matka King. Thus, he recently went on to win the Best Performance (Male) Series for the Amazon Prime’s crime drama television series at the recently concluded Indian Film Festival of Melbourne (IFFM) Awards. It is to be noted that Vijay was in Melbourne during the 2023 edition of the IFFM as well.
Owing to his versatility and acting prowess, the 40-year-old has gone on to develop a cult following. Thus, during an exclusive interview with Arvind Krishnan for Movie Talkies at the film festival in Melbourne, Vijay Varma gave his two cents on media exposure and appreciation from the critics. While stating that he isn’t too bothered about what people say about him, he felt that the public in itself is your PR if you continuously perform well as an actor.
About PR and publicity, Vijay Varma said, “I don’t know about the others but I’ve lived in the shadows for so many years. I’ve lived many years as an unknown and have done a lot of different work, so I then realized that I’m not afraid of this (PR)….About people not talking about me, about people not watching me, about people not standing beside me……I’m not scared of those because I’ve lived with all of that for 10-12 years. Everybody wants good things to be told about them by everyone but if they don’t, and talk bad things, even then that’s ok because that’s their opinion and they have the full right to put forward their opinion. I feel that if you do good work, consistent work, and perform well for a continuous period of time, you won’t need any PR and then the public becomes your PR. The public will then defend you.”
Further on, Vijay also spoke about and her skills as an actress. He shed light on his experience working with her in films like and . The actor was of the opinion that Alia deserves to be where she is, and wouldn’t have gotten the love and appreciation she has if she wasn’t talented. Vijay also stated that he first saw her in Udta Punjab.
“I remember, I had not seen Alia’s first film Student of the Year. My first impression of Alia was when I saw Udta Punjab, and I felt like ‘Who is this incredible actor?’…..The way she embodied that role of a Bihari migrant laborer working in the fields or whatever….The way she owned the character, I felt that she’s a very refined artist and had a lot of crazy potential. I then saw her closely while working on Gully Boy. Her role in Gully Boy is my favourite role from that movie. Her role was so “Fatakedaar” and “Dhamakedaar” in it. I then worked with her in Darlings. With what I’m seeing of her and her work, I know that you can only get such love from the audience when you have real potential,” said Vijay.
Vijay will now be seen in the highly anticipated film ,which will be available on Netflix from September 18. The film also stars Konkona Sen Sharma, Vijay Varma, Abhishek Banerjee, Sana Thampi, Gurfateh Pirzada, Radhika Madan, Ali Fazal, Aditi Rao Hydari, and Siddharth. Besides, his upcoming Netflix show Family Business has already got everyone excited! Co-created and directed by Hansal Mehta, this show is also set to feature Anil Kapoor in it. Moreover, Matka King has officially been renewed for a second season as well.