Indian actor Vijay Varma is having a moment. With lead roles in several high-profile streaming projects this year, including the hijacking drama “IC 814: The Kandahar Hijack” for Netflix, Prime Video’s “Mirzapur” and Disney+ Hotstar’s “Murder Mubarak,” Varma has cemented his position as one of India’s most in-demand performers.
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The actor recently wrapped filming on Vibhu Puri’s “Ul Jalool Ishq,” a poetic drama co-starring Naseeruddin Shah about an Urdu letterpress owner searching for a reclusive poet. “It’s a beautiful, intimate story between one person who runs a barely surviving Urdu [press] and he wants to desperately hold on to this letterpress, but nothing is getting printed anymore in Urdu,” Varma tells Variety .
He’s currently shooting “Matka King,” a Prime Video original series set in the 1960s and 70s, directed by Nagraj Manjule. “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,” Varma says. “We are 30%, 40% in right now, and we will be shooting till the end of December.”
Varma’s standout 2024 comes after over a decade of steady work across indie films and streaming platforms. One of his early films, 2013’s “Monsoon Shootout,” by Amit Kumar, premiered at Cannes. “My first red carpet that I ever walked in my life as an actor was for Cannes,” Varma recalls. “So I started big, and I was part of the French and German newsletters and magazines, and certain people took to my fashion, so that was spoken about.”
That international exposure continued with films like Nandita Das’ “Manto” (2018) and Zoya Akhtar’s”Gully Boy” (2019) playing at Cannes and Berlin respectively. But it was streaming that truly expanded Varma’s reach. “Darlings” in 2022 and “Jaane Jaan” from 2023 were among Netflix India’s biggest hits, while shows like “Dahaad” (2023) and “Mirzapur” (2020 onwards) for Prime Video have found large audiences.
“IC 814” marked a departure for Varma, casting him as the heroic pilot of a hijacked plane after years of playing morally ambiguous characters. “For somebody to imagine me in such a noble and righteous and heroic framework was very tempting,” he says. “My face was kind of becoming synonymous with certain kind of sinister traits on screen.”
To prepare for the role, Varma immersed himself in the technical aspects of aviation. “I enjoyed the love that I had as a young boy for aviation, and just to be in the flight simulation center, getting my hands on the simulator to understand various mechanics, and try to carry in most of it to the set, knowing that in front of me is all going to be green screen, it took a certain kind of very concentrated imagination” he says.
The actor also met with the real-life captain who inspired his character. “The best thing that happened was when I received a phone call from him after he watched the show, and he said that he was mighty impressed,” Varma recounts. “His wife took the phone and she said, ‘I know this man for so many years. I know him more than he knows himself, and I can tell you that you’ve come as close to him as anybody could in portraying him.'”
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The actor credits streaming platforms for allowing more unconventional storytelling. “They are not considering their audience to be stupid,” he observes. “They come from a certain rigor of what kind of people are watching their stuff and what kind of stories their viewers are exposed to.”
Varma believes Indian viewers are seeking fresh perspectives. He notes that he often receives feedback from viewers who say they don’t typically watch Bollywood films but, nevertheless, enjoy his work. “I think I’m doing something that resonates with people who are kind of bored of the beaten down path,” he reflects.
“IC 814” has broadened his appeal beyond the typical Bollywood audience. “There’s a massive community that watches a lot of aviation stuff across the globe. So I’ve heard a lot from that community as well across the globe, aviation sector, aviation enthusiasts,” Varma says. He’s noticed a change in how he’s received at airports, with entire flight crews now gathering to meet him.
With his stock rising, Varma is now exploring opportunities in the West. “It’s a very good time to make that jump,” he says, noting discussions have begun about securing representation abroad. The actor is intrigued by the trend of “color-blind casting” that has seen Indian actors like Ishaan Khatter and Ali Fazal take on roles not specifically written for South Asian performers.
“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 observes. He plans to dedicate time early next year to exploring these opportunities.
For now, Varma remains focused on choosing roles that challenge him and resonate with discerning audiences.
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