Vijay Varma on his recent success: I finally feel seen; it feels like I’m moving in the right direction

As of late, Vijay Varma has been on fire. The actor had a stellar year, appearing in three critically acclaimed films and series: Darlings (2022), Dahaad, and Lust Stories 2. It doesn't come as a surprise when the actor says, "I feel on top of the world."

The actor, who caused a stir this summer with his chilling portrayal of a serial murderer in the critically acclaimed Dahaad, returns this weekend in a new Netflix anthology. Vijay commented to Mid Day that there is so much content coming out every week, spanning languages, when asked how far he has come since his breakout role in Zoya Akhtar's Gully Boy (2019). It's fantastic when everyone pauses what they're doing to watch his show. The actor feels acknowledged at last. He feels like he is making progress properly. Despite the potential danger, Vijay hopes to keep appearing in these stories.

The actor enjoys learning about new things. Directors are Varma's second criterion. He says that working with other filmmakers who share his vision is the key to his success. An actor once said that he would rather play a log of wood in a decent director's picture than the lead in one by a director whose work he doesn't respect. Sujoy Ghosh's consideration for Vijay in The Devotion of Suspect X and Lust Stories 2 is much appreciated.

The actor joked that the filmmaker is teaching him a lot of stuff, even Bangla. Vijay is confident in the story he told, despite criticism of their appearance in Lust Stories 2. There's a lot of work to be done on paper for a short film, but one only has so much time to shoot it. The role of an actor is to become one with their character.

OTT programming has come under close examination over the past year. When asked if he feels he has to rein in his risk-taking as an actor, Vijay said that he has filmed things that the director ultimately decided didn't belong in the final cut because he didn't think they added anything to the story. Directors are familiar with the legal boundaries within which they must work. Actors give in to the director's and writer's visions. Not all censorship comes from above; sometimes it comes from the creators themselves. When it comes to navigating censorship, the filmmakers he is dealing with are light years ahead of the performers.