Tanuj Virwani: I’ve Not Had Privileges Like Other Star Kids, Auditioned A Lot

Actor Tanuj Virwani has the best plan to entertain the audience during the lockdown. He came up with a spooky short film titled ‘Anisht’, shot during the lockdown on his iPhone. Written, directed and acted by Tanuj itself, the short film is so nicely curated, that it will surely spook you and leave you startled.

You can watch the short film here: 

We got in touch with Tanuj for an exclusive chat where we spoke about his short film Anisht, 3 years to Inside Edge, the nepotism debate in the industry and his audition experiences.

For the uninitiated, Tanuj is the son of actress Rati Agnihotri. He made his Bollywood debut in 2013 with the film Luv U Soniyo. His next few films include Purani Jeans and One Night Stand opposite Sunny Leone. While these films failed to impress the audience on the big screen, Tanuj ventured into the digital space and featured in the 2017 Amazon original television series Inside Edge, also starring Vivek Oberoi, Richa Chada, Siddhant Chaturvedi, Angad Bedi, Sayani Gupta, Aamir Bashir, and Sapna Pabbi among others. The show was a big success and was also nominated for Best Drama series at 46th International Emmy Awards. 

Speaking about his journey Tanuj shares that not many people are able to realize his connection to actress Rati Agnihotri and that they are mother and son. He says, “It was not like I had a big filmy launch, I still had to go door to door asking for work. It took me 2.5 years to get my first break so I’ve not had any privileges that other star kids might have had. But at the same time, speaking for those who might have got the opportunities, in the end it’s the audience who makes you. There’s a reason why Ranbir Kapoor or Varun Dhawan are doing so well, because there have been many star kids who came and went, without leaving any impact.”

“Yes, nepotism exists and favouritism exists. Camps exist, but tell me, in which field does it not exist? And not just in our country, but it happens all over the world. So, it is something that definitely exists but it does not define the industry.”

Sharing his own journey, Tanuj says:

"Besides nepotism, the insider-outsider debate is a definite reality. In this industry, people do welcome outsiders but only up till the door, not into their homes, and I fall into their category. I auditioned for plenty of projects, ranging from ads to web shows and films. Auditioning is important because that brings out the real talent that was already there but needed to be discovered. And, that’s how I even bagged Inside Edge.”

Meanwhile, on the work front, Tanuj Virwani has his calendars full of exciting projects. He is gearing up for Inside Edge 3 and Code M Season 2 alongside Jennifer Winget. He will also be seen in AltBalaji’s show ‘Cartel’ and an Amazon Prime Videos show called ‘Kamathipura’. Tanuj also has a cameo role in the Netflix show ‘Masaba Masaba’ starring Neena Gupta and Masaba Gupta.

Watch the full interview here: