“I remember one scene in Bajirao Mastani where Ranveer throws a dagger at me. After we shot the scene, Bhansali sir came and hugged me and said, “Chimaji, you have done a fabulous job.- Vaibhav Tatwawaadi”

A versatile and passionate actor, Vaibhav Tatwawaadi has worked with some of the industry’s biggest names and has definitely left an impression on the audience’s mind. In a tête-à-tête, Vaibhav talks to Nikita Nikhil about his acting journey, his films and future projects. Read on…

- Nikita Nikhi

Vaibhav, you were an engineer before you became an actor. What made you choose this career?

I decided to be an actor when I was in the eighth standard. But since I belong to a middle-class family, my parents felt that it was really important to complete one’s education and following that, you can pursue your dream. When I was in 10th standard, there were only two options which came under good education, one was becoming an engineer and the other, a doctor. Biology was not my cup of tea so I opted for engineering. Till the 8th standard, I used to dabble between two things - I was a state-level badminton player and my dad was supporting me for that too. I wanted to make my career in sports. But when I started losing the tournaments, I realized that this was not my passion. I was enjoying it because of the perks that were associated with it. Whenever I won a tournament, my pictures used to come out in the newspapers of Nagpur. But it was acting that made me realize that even if there was no audience, I would love to act.

That’s when I decided that acting was my passion and then I pursued my dream. After my 12th, I went to Pune to pursue engineering from the College of Engineering, Pune. That turned out to be an acting institute for me because the kind of cultural group the college has, groomed me immensely as an actor and an individual. So those four years of my life in Pune changed for me a lot of things.

Looking back at your career in Marathi and Hindi films, how has your journey been?