I don't want to get typecast: Tanuj Virwani

Getting slotted or typecast in our industry is perhaps the easiest thing, Virwani told PTI here.The actor, who starred as the hot-headed star cricketer Vayu Raghavan in Inside Edge in his digital debut, said the OTT over-the-top platforms helped him grab diverse work opportunities, including the ongoing season 15 of reality show Splitsvilla.Once you gain recognition on OTT, it helps you even as a film actor because your screen credit gets better.

It is easy for an actor to be typecast and Tanuj Virwani, best known for Prime Video series "Inside Edge", says he is careful about not choosing similar kinds of projects.

The actor is looking forward to a string of interesting outings, including "Murshid", a series with Kay Kay Menon, a film with Vijay Raaz titled "Johnny Jumper", a light-hearted film "Puppy Love", and a short film with Gajraj Rao. He will also be seen in Applause Entertainment's untitled crime thriller series alongside Rahul Dev.

"I'm trying to keep things fresh and attempt different things. I can promise the audience that with every project that I do, whether it's a small or big role, I'll try to do something different.

"I don't want to get typecast or slotted. Getting slotted or typecast in our industry is perhaps the easiest thing," Virwani told PTI here.

The actor, who starred as the hot-headed star cricketer Vayu Raghavan in ''Inside Edge'' in his digital debut, said the OTT (over-the-top) platforms helped him grab diverse work opportunities, including the ongoing season 15 of reality show "Splitsvilla".

"Once you gain recognition on OTT, it helps you even as a film actor because your screen credit gets better. I feel the lines got blurred at this point and the makers are not really looking at things like, 'Is he a good film or OTT actor?' They just want a good actor. There's a lot of cross-pollination happening,'' he added.

Virwani, son of veteran actor Rati Agnihotri and entrepreneur Anil Virwani, made his feature film debut with 2013's romance drama ''Luv U Soniyo''.

"Yodha", an action thriller fronted by Sidharth Malhotra, was his first theatrical release in over seven years, he said.

''It's just a trickle-down effect where people are like, 'Maybe he's in a good state right now, and we should be working with him'. You just have to be consistent. I focus on my process because that's in my hand," said Virwani, also known for web series such as "Poison", "Code M", and "Cartel".

The actor co-hosts "Splitsvilla X5: ExSqueeze Me Please" with Sunny Leone, his co-star from the 2016 film "One Night Stand".

"Last time when I tried something, it resulted in the first season of 'Inside Edge'. A lot of people had then told me, 'Don't do it, what's OTT?'. OTT was not a cool thing then. So, I was like, 'Let me give this show ('Splitsvilla') a shot'," Virwani said. "Splitsvilla X5: ExSqueeze Me Please" streams simultaneously on JioCinema and MTV.

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