Tanuj Virwani had a near-death experience while shooting underwater scene in Abhay: ‘Agar issi tarah jaana hai to…’

Actor Tanuj Virwani is awaiting the release of his new web series Abhay, where he plays an influencer who moonlights as a killer. Tanuj is one of the new villains to be seen in the third season of the Kunal Kemmu-starrer, which begins streaming this Friday. Ahead of the show’s release, the actor speaks with Hindustan Times on how it is different working in an already popular show, why social media is like acting, and the time he almost died while shooting for the series. Also read: Tanuj Virwani opens up about breakup with Akshara Haasan, says going public ‘backfired’

Before Abhay, Tanuj has largely worked in new projects from the first season itself. Case in point- Inside Edge, Code M, and Poison. He says that coming into a show that is already big relieves him of any pressure. He says, “It’s great to be a part of an already established franchise. I have gotten so used to getting into these properties on the ground and building them up brick by brick. Now it’s so nice to walk on to a set and not have that pressure. And that’s great because this is my holiday project. We come in, do our job, give the makers why they signed us on in the first place but the pressure is not on us so it’s really liberating.”

But he did face pressure of a different kind while shooting for Abhay. In a pivotal underwater sequence, Tanuj recalls he felt he was close to death even as his co-star Divya Agarwal wanted more retakes. He recounts, “I was petrified and Divya was all gung-ho. She would be all ‘We got this bro’ and I would say yeah but in my head, I was thinking ‘I don’t know what’s happening’. I just told myself, ‘Dekh Tanuj, you have had a good run so far, agar tujhe issi tarah jaana hai to (if this is how you have to go, then) at least you’ll go doing something you love’. And as they say, sometimes when you have to learn how to swim, you need to sink first.”

But with the benefit of hindsight, the actor says the experience was worth it. “I have seen glimpses of it (the scene) while dubbing and I felt it looks good. So it was worth it after all,” he tells us.

Tanuj found a different aspect of his fame while shooting for Abhay. His co-star in the show is reality star-turned-actor Divya Agarwal. Tanuj found that while fans knew her by name, they identified him through his characters. “I remember we were in Lucknow and Divya and I were at the hotel getting out of the lift and a fan approached us and exclaimed ‘Oh my god, you are Divya’, and for me, they went ‘Oh my god, you are Vayu Raghavan (his character in Inside Edge) but sir I’m so sorry what is your name’. For me, they identify more as a character but for Divya, they identify more with who she is in real life. It’s fascinating to see that,” he shares.

In the show, his character Kabir is a social media influencer, who moonlights as a killer. The actor says he identifies with the pressures of keeping a happy face on social media regardless of what’s going on in one’s personal life. He says, “Being actors in public life, there are of course pressures to portray things a certain way. The last two-and-a-half years have been especially hard on everyone, collectively and individually. And here, social media is similar to acting because no matter what is happening at home or with your girlfriend, you have to go out and portray a certain thing, be in the zone.”

Also read: Divya Agarwal says reality show background made it difficult to convince people that she could act

The third season of Abhay premieres on April 8, 2022, on Zee5. The series, directed by Ken Ghosh, stars Kunal Kemmu in the lead, along with Vijay Raaz, Asha Negi, Rahul Dev, Vidya Malavade, Nidhi Singh, Divya, and Tanuj.