He had as many as six releases this year, including The Tattoo Murders, Illegal 2 and Inside Edge 3. For Tanuj Virwani, the biggest high was reprising his role of Vayu in the cricket-based series. Connecting with mid-day from the Badlapur set of his next with Kay Kay Menon, the actor discusses the gruelling prep that went behind the series, and his Bollywood aspirations.

Edited excerpts from the interview:

It would be unfair to say I am happy with the outcome of each [series]. Certain projects turned out to be in sync with my expectations, others not so much. However, as an actor, there’s only so much I can control. This line-up was not by design. The Tattoo Murders, Cartel and Inside Edge 3 had been shot earlier, but were released this year.

In the first season, we shot predominantly at night when the weather was cooler. But to be authentic, we shot the Test matches in about 40 degrees in Pune. In Test matches, you use the ball for a much longer period, and as the ball gets older, it becomes softer, making it harder to hit. I was scared the first few days while filming those sequences because Karan [Anshuman] and the direction team decided to ramp up the cricket scenes. They got players from Ranji and Kanga league; some of those bowlers were going at it [like crazy].

In the first season, Vayu faces about 22 balls; in season two, I had about 45 balls, and for the third, I faced 10-odd balls that were shown on camera. For the latest season, our DoP [director of photography] was particular that certain portions couldn’t be shot once we lost the sun. So, we would start in the morning, break from 12 pm to 2.30 pm. During that period, we would shoot scenes in the stands or the dressing room. Post that, we’d go back on the field. But post-lunch, it used to become difficult to pick up [the pace] again. I am 35, I am not exactly a spring chicken. To pick up exactly where we left off was demanding.

Firstly, you have to give it to Akshay for his hard work. I would not even imagine taking up this character if I couldn’t play cricket. The first time I met him was during the cricket training camp. It was love at first sight [laughs]. The poor guy was so cute, he couldn’t even hold the bat. I loved his work in Pizza [2014] and Gurgaon [2017], but this was going to be brutal. He barely got one-and-a-half months to prepare. We got along so well in real life that we were able to sell our rivalry on screen. We have decided to do at least one show together every year.

After the first season released in 2017, I only got bad boy roles. At the time, I knew we would have a second season. I thought if I keep doing this, I will become a one-trick pony. So, I had to be brave enough to say no.

I set out to be a film actor. I would be lying if I said I am happy to stay in the OTT space. I want to do both because you can’t recreate what happens on the silver screen on a laptop or TV. There is something magical about going to the theatres. I am working on a few films, which will hopefully be theatrical releases.

Virwani with Akshay Oberoi

He is a star son, but Tanuj Virwani takes pride in having paved his own way in the big, bad world of showbiz. The actor is enjoying the reactions to two back-to-back projects in The Tattoo Murders that sees him as a ruthless baddie, and Murders Meri Jaan. In a candid chat with mid-day, Virwani talks about playing the antagonist for the first time in the Tattoo Murders and his desire to attempt comedy after a spate of serious roles.

Edited excerpts from the interview.

Some sections of the society had a problem with the title. They thought we were depicting Kamathipura and the sex workers in a negative light, which is not true. To avoid controversies, Disney+ Hotstar decided to change the title to The Tattoo Murders. However, the name is only changed in India; it dropped in other countries as Kamathipura.

Digital entertainment gives you freedom to take such risks. Luckily, my line-up of projects includes hero-centric and massy projects, so I didn’t mind dabbling in this. I often attempt different characters and see how people respond to them. When you are fronting a project, there is a lot more responsibility on you. In The Tattoo Murders, the principal character is played by Meera Chopra. [The creative freedom due to lack of pressure] allowed me to give a more gutsy performance. Unlike in Inside Edge, there is a box, and I must operate within it.

After wrapping up Code M, I was in the midst of Inside Edge 3 and was to follow it up with Cartel. With all these shows, the onus [of their success] lay on me. So, I wanted to do something different. I liked the narration of The Tattoo Murders, and where my character eventually ends up. I look up to George Clooney and Brad Pitt — they are popular because they are leading actors as well as the world’s best character actors. They will shine bright, no matter whether they are in an ensemble drama or solo project. That’s the kind of balance I want in my career.

It’s a detective drama with a mix of rom-com. I essay the role of a serious poker-faced ACP — almost like Abhishek Bachchan from Dhoom — who is chasing a con girl who has lured over 19 men into a fake marriage, and ran away with their money. I fall in love with her without realising that she is the culprit I’ve been chasing. It was shot over a start-to-finish schedule in Bhopal.

Mumbai Meri Jaan is lighter in tone compared to the other projects I am doing. I see it as my holiday project where I can have fun with my character. I want to try an out-and-out comedy because I enjoy the genre and have never got the chance to attempt it. I hope I get more such opportunities in the future. My mother [Rati Agnihotri] is concerned about my dark roles. She complains, ‘People are dying or killing or using drugs in every [series]. We never did all this’. I keep telling her that I am the product of the times we live in.