After a series of negative roles, Vijay Varma’s heart was craving something different. Then came along ‘Gustaakh Ishq’, a sweet love story he hopes will remind people of lightness, sun and hot chocolate in winters.
Varma, who has made a mark in films such as ‘Pink’ and ‘Gully Boy’ as well as the show ‘Dahaad’, wants a filmography like Al Pacino or his ‘Gustaakh Ishq’ co-star Naseeruddin Shah. And he is well on his way there with his recent projects ‘Kaalkoot’, ‘Jaane Jaan’ and ‘IC 814: The Kandahar Hijack’, which saw him step away from straight-up villain roles. His latest film, ‘Gustaakh Ishq’ has him playing a budding poet who falls for his teacher’s daughter.
“It is a nice contrast for me and for my audience to see me in a completely different light. Every artist has a pursuit of tapping all the material they have to explore their full potential. When this came, I thought it was a sweet story. Someone told me, ‘This is a perfect film for winters’,” Varma told PTI.
The 39-year-old added, “The chill of December to February, the lightness, with a little sun, a hot cup of tea, this is that film. It is like a hot chocolate in nice cold weather. I felt the same while shooting, even though it was very cold.”
The actor said he can already see a shift in the way people are talking about his role in the movie, which marks the production debut of designer Manish Malhotra. It is directed by Vibhu Puri and also stars Fatima Sana Shaikh, Naseeruddin Shah and Sharib Hashmi. The lyrics are by Gulzar and the music by Vishal Bhardwaj. Varma is happy that people already love the songs.
The actor said they shot in Amritsar, Punjab, Patiala and Old Delhi in peak winters and it took him some time to adjust to the cold. “But my heart was craving for a role like this and my heart was craving to collaborate with such warm, poetic makers. Only the audience can tell what happens next, but I am very hopeful and excited.”
The pursuit is to show versatility and the attempt to live the part fully, he said.
“When you look at Al Pacino in ‘Scent of a Woman’ and when you look at him in ‘Dog Day Afternoon’ or in ‘Scarface’ or ‘Godfather’, as an actor, he is so fulfilled because he’s got to play out every fantasy of his. My schooling has been from Naseeruddin Shah to Al Pacino, to Amitabh Bachchan and Dilip Kumar. You can’t tell one character in their entire filmography who is not flawed. They don’t go for straight-up boring characters. I find grey very interesting in life. And that has been the pursuit. I feel even romance is not all white or black, it is also grey.”