Vijay Varma is the moment with his back-to-back releases! With having a great 2023 with ‘Jaane Jaan’ and ‘Dahaad,’ the streak continues. 2024 gave the actor hits like ‘Mirzapur,’ ‘Murder Mubarak,’ and his latest- ‘IC: 814.’ As he basks in the success of his latest series, Vijay opens up about taking a flight West in his interview with Variety.

During the conversation, the ‘Gully Boy’ actor affirmed his interest in exploring opportunities in Hollywood. Varma believes that it is the right time to take the plunge. He said, “It’s a very good time to make that jump” as he noted that the discourse around representation has commenced in the West. He appreciated the trend of “Color-blind casting” that has seen Indian actors like Ishaan Khatter and Ali Fazal take on roles which aren’t specific to South Asian performers.

 

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Elaborating further, he added, “With more acceptance that is coming in by the international producers, directors looking at Indian diaspora actors, brown actors in a variety of roles, it’s a very lucrative time.” Varma looks forward to dedicating time to looking for opportunities in Hollywood early next year.

Moreover, the actor also talked about his upcoming releases, Vibhu Puri’s “Ul Jalool Ishq” and the series “Matka King.” Varma recently wrapped the shoot of the film in which he co-stars with Naseeruddin Shah. “Ul Jalool Ishq” is a poetic drama chronicling a letterpress owner’s search for a reclusive poet. Talking about the film, Varma told Variety, “It’s a beautiful, intimate story between one person who runs a barely surviving Urdu [press]. He wants to desperately hold on to this letterpress, but nothing is getting printed anymore in Urdu.”

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The actor also delved into Nagraj Manjule’s original series ‘Matka King’ for Amazon Prime Video. Set in the 1960s and 70s, Varma is currently shooting for the title. Updating on the upcoming show, he said, “It’s the rise of a very interesting business, at the same time, an individual who found a certain kind of a loophole in a system and tried to make a lot of money through it.” He added, “We are 30%, 40% in right now, and we will be shooting till the end of December.”

Vijay Varma made his debut with the 2018 short film ‘Shor.’ He went on to receive recognition for his supporting role in the 2016 hit ‘Pink.’ The actor subsequently starred in ‘Manto’ and ‘Gully Boy’ which played at Cannes and Berlin Film Festivals respectively. However, streaming solidified his presence among fans with his roles in ‘Mirzapur,’ ‘Jaane Jaan’ and ‘Darlings’ among others.