Vijay Varma is an Indian theatre artist, model, and actor. He played the male lead in the 2022 Netflix film Darlings starring Alia Bhatt and Shefali Shah.He was born in a Rajasthani family, and his family resides in Hyderabad, India. Vijay Varma in his teens.After completing his BCom, he joined a theatre group in Hyderabad, India. He even did a few odd jobs like selling mobile plans in Idea Cellular, selling petrol cards in Bharat Petroleum, and doing night shifts in a call centre. He then realised that he wanted to make a career in acting, and he could not do a 9-5 job. During an interview, he talked about his interest in acting. He said, Sundays at our home were allotted for movies, and every other hour was spent on the 500-strong comic book collection I owned. I watched a friend mimicing characters from Vaastav (1999). He was very good and I copied him; copy ka copy ban gaya, like diet Sabyasachi (a reference to an Instagram account that spots fake designerwear)..In 2005, he applied to the Film and Television Institute of India (FTII), Pune. He got selected at FTII, but his family was not happy with his decision. One day when his father was out on a business trip, he decided to move to Pune to join FTII. In an interview, while remembering those days, he said, I got selected in FTII and somehow convinced my mother to allow me to go there. My father was on a business trip and then I decided to pack my bags and leave to FTII as I was afraid he would say no. My friend gave me some money for my expenses. When I was about to leave my home, I decided to call my father. I called him and said that I was leaving to FTII and I want to become an actor. My father said leave before I come there, and then I too a train to Pune. Although my father was not happy with my decision, he always supported me financially. He started accepting my work only when a article was published on me in a newspaper which my father used to read for 20 years. He then believed if this newspaper is writing something it must be true..Vijay further shared that at that time one of his friends named Vijay Ramnani provided him with financial aid. Later, his father used to help him financially. While Vijay was in FTII, he used to lock himself in his room and watch films on his Philips DVD player. He used to closely observe the performance of actors in the films.After graduating from FTII, he shifted to Mumbai in 2008. He auditioned for a few TV commercials but could not get good offers.Later, the Indian theatre director Tom Halter recommended Vijays name for a famous English theatre play Three Short Plays. He then performed in many Hind theatre plays. In an interview, while talking about his love for theatre, he said, While doing theatres, I felt that some part of me was being fulfilled. Nobody like me or around me was getting into films or had an entry into this kind of a universe. So many people are good at something or the other, but they end up doing run-of-the-mill stuff and give up on their skills very easily. Vijay Varma in a theatre play.In the initial years of his acting career, he worked as a model in various modelling assignments. He used to get Rs 500 for a modelling assignment at that time. [6]Twitter- Vijay Varma Vijay Varmas old photos from his modelling days.Vijay has acted in many Hindi films such as Pink (2016), Manto (2018), Gully Boy (2019), and Bamfaad (2020). A still from the Hindi film Manto.After the release of his Netflix film Darlings in 2022, he shared that earlier the famous Indian actor Shah Rukh Khan wanted to play the role which was offered to him. He said, Shah Rukh Khan was interested in playing the part. I remember somebody from Red Chillies had told me that when Shah Rukh sir read the script, he was like agar main young hota toh ye role main hi karta (If I was younger, I only wouldve done this role), which was interesting for me to hear. That was also one of the reasons I felt like I can do this role, because if Shah Rukh Khan thinks that he can do this role, being an absolute lover-boy, national sweetheart. I was scared to take up a role like this but I am very glad that it hit the nail in the right place. Darlings (2022).