Actor
Vijay
Varma
says
he
has
been
quietly
'waiting
in
the
wings'
for
his
big
moment
in
the
spotlight,
which
has
finally
arrived
with
Zoya
Akhtar's
Gully
Boy.
Though
Vijay,
34,
has
appeared
in
films
like
''Chittagong'',
''Pink''
and
''Monsoon
Shootout'',
his
acting
in
the
Zoya
Akhtar-directed
film
is
winning
has
brought
him
a
lot
critical
acclaim.
In
the
film,
Vijay
plays
Moeen,
a
brother-figure
to
Ranveer
Singh's
Murad,
a
mechanic
who
moonlights
as
a
carjacker
by
the
night.
''When
you
are
doing
theatre
and
a
play
is
happening,
you
are
waiting
in
the
wings
for
your
entry.
You
enter
and
do
your
bit.
I
was
in
the
wings,
ready,
with
my
costume
on,
knowing
that
now
I
will
enter
(the
play).
But
sometimes
I
didn't
get
that
entry.
With
'Gully
Boy',
it
feels
like
this
is
the
time
I
am
entering
the
stage
and
doing
my
bit,''
Vijay
told
PTI
an
interview.
Written
by
Zoya
and
Reema
Kagti,
with
dialogues
by
Vijay
Maurya,
the
film
traces
the
journey
of
a
Mumbai
rapper's
rise
against
all
odds.
For
Vijay,
playing
Moeen
meant
looking
for
references
from
his
life
experiences
and
borrowing
certain
character
traits
from
the
actors
he
looks
up
to
-
Jackie
Shroff
and
Amitabh
Bachchan.
"I
have
hung
around
Jackie
Shroff
a
lot
and
he
is
a
great
guy
to
chat
with.
The
large
heartedness
of
Moeen
comes
from
'Bhidu'
(as
Shroff
is
fondly
called
by
fans),
because
he
is
so
giving.
He
always
looks
after
everyone.
I
used
him
as
a
reference
point," Vijay
says.
"The
swag
comes
from
my
love
for
Mr
Bachchan.
I
don't
think
it
was
in
my
or
even
Zoya's
mind.
It
was
probably
a
very
subconscious
love
for
him
and
the
movies
at
large.''
Vijay
says
he
took
"a
lot
of
time" to
figure
out
his
character
as
there
were
nuances
to
Moeen,
who
oscillates
between
being
a
negative
character
as
a
drug
dealer
and
carjacker
to
someone
trying
to
get
by
against
all
odds.
''There
were
some
qualities
I
could
resonate
with.
He
is
a
fun
guy,
who
doesn't
carry
the
baggage
of
a
tough
life
he
might
have
definitely
had.
He
has
a
lot
of
optimism,
which
even
I
do."
To
prepare
for
his
role,
Vijay
met
the
rappers
as
it
was
important
to
understand
the
lingo.
''There
is
a
way
they
say
'kamti'
hote
hai.
You
just
can't
mouth
it.
You
have
to
do
it
in
a
certain
style.
I
also
worked
on
smaller
things.
Like
this
guy
would
have
stained
teeth.
If
you
have
it,
it
means
bad
hygiene,
which
means
he
doesn't
care
about
it.
These
little
things
came
together.''
Credits-
PTI