Poison actor Tanuj Virwani: Whatever work I am getting is because of Inside Edge

Here are some excerpts from the conversation.

Tell us more about Poison?

When Poison came my way, I was really excited about the script. I haven’t done anything like this before and it’s quite hooking. It’s a revenge drama of a man, who has come from jail with vengeance. He is so poisoned that he doesn’t realise that you can never unring a bell. With so much hatred around, through the show, we also want to pass the message that revenge is not the answer to everything.

Tanuj’s character in Poison is out for revenge. (Source: Tanuj Virwani/Instagram)

Don’t you think there is suddenly a surge of crime-based shows or thrillers on the web?

See honestly, earlier there weren’t even too many web series and now there’s a plethora. TVF started the trend and then Amazon did Inside Edge. All I want to say is that people might be trying to find a formula but only the good will survive at the end of the day. If the content fails, it will anyway get lost in the crowd.

Your performance in Inside Edge seems to have definitely opened up new gates for you?

Completely. I did three films with a lot of hopes but unfortunately, they didn’t work. It was a time when I started questioning myself. That’s when Inside Edge happened and it changed everything. Whatever work that I am getting is because of Inside Edge. The digital medium gave a new lease of life to my career.

Tanuj Virwani is the son of yesteryear actor Rati Agnihotri. (Source: Tanuj Virwani/Instagram)

Your mother Rati Agnihotri has been a popular name in the industry. Did it help having her around?

See, I won’t deny that if you have a connection, you do get access. But then at the end of the day, it’s your work that will take you ahead. The audience pays the same amount to watch a star kid or an outsider. They don’t care about the surname. People like an Alia Bhatt or Varun Dhawan only because they have done a great job. On the other hand, they won’t watch a Sushant Singh Rajput or Ranveer Singh’s film only because they are outsiders. This whole nepotism game is just blown out of proportion in Bollywood.

But on a personal front, did she ever give you any special advice to survive the industry?

All that my mother told me was never to take success to my head and failure to my heart. She also told me just keep your head down and be like a horse with blinders. Focus on what you want to achieve in the next 10 years, and work on that. I would like to be in a position where I can headline a project.

Amazon Prime Video’s Inside Edge is expected to premiere shortly. (Source: Tanuj Virwani/Instagram)

What’s next?

Honestly, I really have no time for films. We have wrapped up shoot for Inside Edge 2 and might start working on the third season. Also, I am doing a couple of shows for ALTBalaji. So I have literally no time for anything else.