Govinda Naam Mera actor Viraj Ghelani reveals how a content creator breaks into films without ‘cracking a single audition in his life’

 

View this post on Instagram

 

A post shared by Viraj Ghelani (@viraj_ghelani)

So how did the jump from being a content creator to acting happen? “I always wanted to be on screen, act. When I was younger, I would feel that once I get an acting opportunity, my life is sorted. But when I started off, I had no idea what to do, whom to approach… I was very raw. I only wanted to be famous, I didn’t know how,” Viraj shares.

He says despite a lot of effort, he never cracked a single audition and finally took up content creation as his full-time job. “So when I would go for auditions, I’d take several rounds of Aaram Nagar, and other places, but they’d say I don’t have it in me. When I went for stand-up comedy, people would say I’m not fit for it either. I had faced a lot of rejection. But I was not here for that, I was here to do something. I thought I was very funny, because I’m the funnier one among my friends, in my building, so I thought I had the funny bone in me, so I never understood why I was being rejected.”

 

View this post on Instagram

 

A post shared by Viraj Ghelani (@viraj_ghelani)

“This is the reason I started doing my Snapchat and Instagram videos and got into Filtercopy. I had reached out to TVF and AIB also but they never responded, but Filtercopy just clicked. Here I learnt everything from writing, to acting. I was a spot boy there too, I would also manage the set, attend to actors’ demands, I did everything there. I had very raw ideas in my head, here’s where I learnt where to place a joke, how to make sure it lands well, etc. I started acting in their skits then, and that’s how it started,” he adds.

 

View this post on Instagram

 

A post shared by Viraj Ghelani (@viraj_ghelani)

Ghelani wanted a bigger gig and he asked his followers to help him, and they did. Here’s how: He says, “However, the roles were small and insignificant. So I told all my Borivali, Kandivali and Malad friends to write ‘here for Viraj’ every time they spotted me in any video, even if I’m just walking in the background. The moment they spotted me, they really started commenting and it spread like wildfire. So Filtercopy first didn’t understand what was happening but they realised that there was a lot of engagement on videos that features me. They started giving me lead roles, and there was no going back. I had to do a lot of jugaad to get such roles. I had never cracked any audition in my life.”

Govinda Naam Mera (GNM) is the byproduct of the same jugaad, he says. “When I got a call for Govinda Naam Mera, it was like a dream come true for me. Mukesh Chhabra sir had once met me and told me ‘ek din main tujhe bohot badaa star banaunga‘ and I thought he wasn’t serious. When I got a call from him informing me that there is a movie from Dharma and this is the role, I was prepared for rejection. Shashank (Khaitan) asked me to meet up, and then offered me a role. It was so weird and wonderful at the same time.”

Making funny videos for social media may look like everything is hunky-dory, but it comes with a social responsibility, says Viraj. When asked if more content creators and social media influencers are now getting acting jobs because they bring along engagement and traction on social media, or it is their acting skills, he says it is because of the “reliability” they have with their audience.

 

View this post on Instagram

 

A post shared by Viraj Ghelani (@viraj_ghelani)

He shares, “I think it is definitely the mixture of two. Because it is a different audience that follows content creators. We come across as reachable people they see on screen. For example, when you go out and see Shah Rukh Khan, you’d hesitate to approach him for a selfie or to talk to him. That’s because he’s such a big star. But, when it comes to us, people think we’re at their home, we make videos about our life at home, life in general and people can relate to us as ‘ghar ka aadmi’. So, our audience is different and we get a different kind of love from them.”

 

View this post on Instagram

 

A post shared by Viraj Ghelani (@viraj_ghelani)

We see a lot of social media creators and influencers making videos and promoting brands, do they have a conscientious radar and a responsibility towards their audience. He weighs in, and says, “It is the same responsibility that any public figure will have. I make sure that I don’t promote smoking or promote any thing that in general I don’t consume or use. I keep it very real, I don’t try to become what I’m not. For instance, I don’t wear any make-up until the camera needs it. For my personal videos I don’t even do that. I don’t want people to think that I look terrific on screen but nothing close to it in real life. I stock to my roots, I think twice before I talk also because there are kids following me who are impressionable, then youngsters, senior citizens whom I respect.”