In an era where versatility often gets diluted, Vijay Varma stands tall as one of the most exciting actors of his generation a performer who shapeshifts from gritty to tender, from unpredictable to utterly charming lover boy, with effortless finesse. And now, Manish Malhotra has heaped praise on Vijay, calling him one of the few actors today who embody true “young man energy” on screen, a quality he believes has largely vanished from contemporary storytelling. And in Manish’s words, that rare charm is what once defined Shah Rukh Khan in the iconic 90s era.
At a recent interview, when asked whether Indian male characters today lack softness and emotional maturity in their writing, Manish didn’t hold back. “Today, there are boys, we don’t see men,” he said. “Vijay, you know, has that, and I think that's why we also thought of Vijay, because Vijay, has this very young man quality about him. Even in his look, his height, the way he is. There’s a certain, modern and contemporariness, but still, there is somewhere, a maturity. He reflects that even in his personality.”
It’s precisely this depth that made Vijay Varma his first choice for Pappan in the upcoming Gustaakh Ishq. For Manish, the role demanded someone who could blend youthful freshness with an old-school steadiness, the kind of presence audiences once associated with Shah Rukh Khan at the peak of his 90s stardom. “And I think Pappan in this film, the character Vijay plays, is a young man. So it’s also bringing back on screen, the man hero. You know, like what Shah Rukh did in the 90s. But otherwise, you see only boys doing it. Everything is a boy and a girl. It’s not a young man or a young woman.”
In this film, Vijay taps into a softer, romantic lover boy side, something that fans have been waiting to watch for years. With this role, Vijay Varma isn’t just trying something new, he’s opening a whole new chapter in his filmography. And if the early buzz is any indication, audiences are more than ready to fall for this side of him.