'My mother and I share a good equation'

Filial respect

Tanuj Virwani is no stranger to the silver screen, for his mother veteran actress Rati Agnihotri, was one of the top heroines of Bollywood during her time. 

He recalls that as a five-year-old when he and his mother were at an international airport, people would walk up to his mother, calling her by the character name and not by her own name. 

“I was brought up as an ordinary child and kept away from all the limelight. My mother gave up a lucrative career to be with me and she returned to the big screen only when I was 16 years old,” Tanuj shares. 

 

Today, Tanuj is sharing screen space with his mother in Purani Jeans. “I wasn’t sure if my mother would be a part of the project because she had issues with the dates but fortunately everything fell in place and we are working together,” he states. 

He confesses that he doesn’t feel very different working with his mother. “We’re more like friends and that makes all the difference. My mother and I share a good equation,” Tanuj tells Metrolife. 

 

It was only natural that Tanuj would enter films but he made sure that he was completely groomed before he set foot in the industry. 

 

He too, like any other newcomer, went through rigorous training and picked up lessons in acting before he signed on the dotted line. 

 

“It’s been a learning experience through and through. The challenge is to remain consistent in one’s thinking and put in one’s best. What I know is only the tip of the iceberg,” he adds. 

 

In Purani Jeans, Tanuj plays the role of an investment banker who is based in New York.

The story begins when this young, successful banker returns to his village in Manali to settle some old differences. He meets his childhood friends. 

 

“It’s like I am revisiting my past and renewing old ties of friendship. It is a story of friendship, love and how the two have changed over the years. Today, it’s rare to find friends who meet each other face-to-face. The conversations happen through social networking sites, chats and through SMSes. You can even block a friend through the click of a button. Times have changed,” reasons Tanuj. 

 

The film highlights the importance of personal touch. 

 

Tanuj has signed a couple more films and he says that he would like to experiment with as many characters as possible.

“There’s a lot of thought that goes in before signing a project and I think I owe my consistency in thought and action to my mother, who has gone the extra mile to make sure that I was brought up as a responsible human being,” he signs off.