'Murshid' Actor Tanuj Virwani Talks About Shooting In The Streets Of Bombay Wearing Khaki Uniform: 'People Mistook Me For A Real Police...'

In a recent conversation with ABP Live, actor Tanuj Virwani recalled his experience of working in the recently released web series ‘Murshid’.

Actor Tanuj Virwani is excited to embark on a new chapter in his life as a father.

Source : Instagram/@tanujvirwani

Reviews for Tanuj Virwani's performance as Inspector Kumar Pratap Rana in the new web series ‘Murshid’ have been positive. The series, which was released on ZEE5, showcases the grim reality of a city afflicted by gang violence, where even the police had difficulty bringing down influential mafia dons. The crime thriller is set against the background of Bombay's crime scene in the 1980s and 1990s. 

‘Murshid’ provides an exciting look into the seedy side of a city that never rests by depicting rival gangs and the bright but terrifying colours of old Mumbai. The captivating seven-part series stars Kay Kay Menon, Tanuj Virwani and Zakir Hussain.

In a recent conversation with ABP Live, actor Tanuj Virwani recalled his experiences of working in ‘Murshid’, his interests outside of work, personal life and more. 

Here Are Some Excerpts From The Interview:

‘Murshid’ has just been released, and it's already creating a buzz. Can you tell us what drew you to this project?

The fact that Kay Kay sir (Kay Kay Menon) and Zakir sir (Zakir Hussain) are associated with the project and I got to play Khakee police inspector. Also, I worked with our director (Shravan Tiwari) in the past on another show ‘Kamathipura’. So, there was a reliability and comfort level we shared and it gives you confidence that maybe we will luck out the second time as well. Those are some of the reasons why I was drawn to the project.

What was the most challenging aspect of playing your character in ‘Murshid’?

Unlike most other directors who prefer shooting on a close-up set or in a confined space that is controlled by production, Shravan sir likes to really go for it. We'll just be roaming around Bombay and getting off at a different location shooting at real-life locations. That sometimes poses quite a challenge because you have a very small window in which you have to go shoot different angles, get back in the car and move on. Once people start gathering, then it becomes nearly impossible.

Secondly, I feel a sense of power and responsibility when you're playing any person in uniform. And playing an inspector definitely was something I took very seriously. But, when you are running around the streets of Mumbai dressed as a cop that can attract quite a lot of attention. A lot of people mistook me for being a real police inspector so that was funny and also kind of challenging to kind of deal with.

What was it like working with the director and the rest of the cast on ‘Murshid’?

It was fantastic getting the chance to collaborate with Shravan sir once again. I think he's only honed his skills as a director and he's very clear-cut about what he wants and what he doesn't want. So, you're clear-minded about what is expected from you as an actor.

As far as the rest of the cast is concerned whether it's Kay Kay sir, Zakir Sir, or Vedika, who plays my wife on the show, it was fantastic collaborating with all of them. They all brought a very unique and different energy.

Sometimes when you're working with good actors, it's not just about acting it's just simply listening to what they're saying reacting to them and of course, knowing your dialogues. I feel like this is my film school. I imbibe and I grew a lot by working with seasoned actors.

Can you share a memorable moment or behind-the-scenes story from the set of ‘Murshid’?

When you work on shows that a lot of memorable moments. When we were figuring out the Look, it was quite funny and memorable, because Shravan sir literally sat with an A4 paper. He drew my face on the paper and then drew a moustache because that's a specific type he wanted so my team had to make sure they replicated that exact moustache on my face.

There was one time when Vedika and I were shooting together. I improvised in a scene where I came home drunk from work as I had alcohol issues on the show. She starts berating me and I take the house keys and I throw them at her. That wasn’t in the script but I just thought it was a natural progression of that character at the moment. She was completely caught off guard. So, her response to that was of complete shock. She started raising her eyebrows up and down asking me like ‘what's going on’ and it was pretty funny when the whole thing happened.

 

 

 

 

 

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What do you do in your downtime when you're not working? Any hobbies or interests that keep you busy?

I have a ton of hobbies. I am a big comic book collector and statue collector. I love watching movies. I love playing cricket. I love spending time with my family love and chilling with my dogs. It definitely takes up a lot of my time when I'm not shooting. It's a nice way to switch off because it can be a pretty stressful line of work, especially in this industry and city as fast pace as space as Mumbai, you definitely need something that sends your mind on a holiday.

What’s one thing about you that fans would be surprised to know?

I don't know how many of you know this but the plan and intention was never to become an actor. It was to do something behind the camera - writing, direction and that's how my journey in this line of work started as an assistant director to pursue writing and direction. I think somewhere down the line acting bug kind of hit me and hit me really hard. And here we are 10 years later. Anything is possible and yeah, I think that's maybe something.

A lot of people probably thought that because my mom (Rati Agnihotri) is an actor, it was just natural for me to also become an actor, but that's not true.

As someone who has worked in the industry for a while now, how do you see the future of Indian web series and content creation?

I think the future is really bright with the advent of OTT. I just feel during the pandemic and post-pandemic, we've had some very interesting concepts being fleshed out and even mainstream actors being okay with doing different sorts of content. Earlier, it was more like you've got the hero, you've got the heroine and you've got the comic relief, you've got the villain and we were kind of playing in a much smaller sandbox. Now, creative people have gotten a lot braver with their choices. I hope this continues in the right direction.

If there's one downside I do feel that there's too much of everything. Too many platforms, too much content and somewhere quality has given way to quantity. So, I definitely feel that that is one area where we can pull up our socks.

But definitely, the future of entertainment in our country is in very very good hands.

On a personal note, your wife Tanya is expecting, how do you prepare for this huge responsibility of being a father?

This is a huge moment for both of us. She's heavily pregnant. She's currently in her eighth month. It's been very amazing time, there's so much more you learn about pregnancy. There's so much more you learn about each other and how we go through these things together. We are both very excited and cannot wait to welcome a child into the world.

It's been a very gratifying year professionally. I've been lucky to have a reality show 'Splitsvilla' that caters to different audiences. A film such as Yodha from Dharma caters or different audiences and now 'Murshid’ caters to a completely different audience. All of these fail in comparison to what I think will be my greatest creation which is my child so really looking forward to it.

 

 

 

 

 

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