Bollywood is full of talented actors who shine in small roles, leaving a lasting mark on fans. One such gem is Vijay Raaz, a name that stands out in Vijay Raaz Bollywood circles. He’s appeared in numerous big-budget films, often in brief yet unforgettable parts. Though his screen time may be short, Vijay Raaz captivates audiences with his exceptional performances, turning every role into a delight and proving that true talent doesn’t need hours to make an impact.
Vijay celebrates his 59th birthday today, June 5. Vijay Raj began his acting career in theatre after being born in Delhi in 1963. He only came to films after working in theatre for ten years, and his work was well received there as well. Today we’ll talk about Vijay Raj’s characters, who have become very popular among fans.
Vijay Raj, who was born in Delhi, has been involved in theatre since his college days. He participated in many plays while at the National School of Drama, but Vijay Raj wanted to try his luck in films and went to Mumbai to do so.
Vijay did well in school. After finishing his 12th grade in Delhi, he was admitted to the well-known Kirori Mal College of Delhi. He used to do street plays and stage plays after joining the college theatre group.
He received a lot of praise for his performance. Vijay began his acting career in the theatre. He had decided to pursue a career in acting while still in college. But he never considered going to Bollywood. His career plan was simple: become a popular artist and earn money solely through theatre. He worked in theatre for ten years for this.
Read- Raj Kapoor Biography, Age, Height, Family, Affairs & Details
There, he landed a role in Ram Gopal Varma’s film ‘Jungle,’ but he received no recognition.
Vijay Raj Biography
Vijay Raj’s Career
Actor Naseeruddin Shah is the one who gives Vijay credit for his success in films. Naseeruddin Shah had seen him perform during his theatre days and had been impressed by Vijay Raj’s acting ever since.
Read- Pankaj Kapur Biography, Age, Height, Weight, Family & More
He cast Vijay Raj in a number of films, including ‘Bhopal Express’ and ‘Monsoon Wedding.’ These films elevated Vijay Raj to the status of a star.
Vijay Raj never looked back after that, setting new standards with each of his films. His work has been recognized in dozens of films, including ‘Run,’ ‘Dhamaal,’ ‘Double Dhamaal,’ ‘Deli Belly,’ ‘No Problem,’ ‘Yuva,’ ‘Welcome,’ ‘Kya Dilli Kya Lahore,’ and ‘Saat Uchke.’ Appreciated.
‘Gangubai Kathiawadi,’ starring Alia Bhatt, is based on the life of sex worker Gangubai from Kamathipura, with Alia Bhatt playing the character of ‘Gangubai.’ Vijay played the role of ‘Rajiya Bai’ in the film, and he played it completely honestly. Vijay Raj’s performance in this film was well-received. Users on social media praised Vijay Raj’s work alongside Alia.
Vijay Raj is well-known among filmgoers for his comedic performances. However, in the film Daily Belly, Vijay played Don. However, by playing a don in the film, Vijay accomplished the task of making people laugh rather than scare them. The audience praised the actor’s performance. Aside from Vijay Raj, this film featured Imran Khan, Vir Das, and Aamir Khan.
Vijay was praised for his strong acting in Akshay Kumar and Katrina Kaif’s film ‘Welcome.’ Vijay played a fake director in this film, and he was seen teaching acting to Nana Patekar. He once again wowed everyone with his brilliant dialogue delivery in this film.
Vijay Raj elevated his character’s calm and patient demeanor in the film ‘Dhamal.’ With his brilliant comedy, he made everyone laugh. His role in this film was less than five minutes long, but he managed to capture the attention of the audience.
Nobody could have forgotten Vijay Raj’s character in the film ‘Run.’ Of course, Abhishek Bachchan appeared in this film, but it is remembered by fans for the scene featuring Vijay’s ‘Kawa Biryani.’ The film was released in 2004, and a video clip of Vijay Raj’s scene in it is still going viral on social media.
Controversies
He was arrested at Abu Dhabi Airport in February 2005 for drug possession (25 gm of Marijuana in his handbag).
Vijay Raj was arrested by Gondia police on November 2, 2020, for misbehaving with a female employee on the set of Vidya Balan’s film ‘Lion.’ Although Vijay was granted bail the next day, he had to forfeit his film. Vijay Raj stated in his clarification that he is willing to cooperate in any type of investigation, but it is shocking that he first lost his film without any investigation or conclusion.
| Year | Movie Title | Character Played | Director | Producer |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1999 | Bhopal Express | Badru | Mahesh Mathai | Deepak Nayar, Tinu Verma |
| 2000 | Jungle | Deshu | Ram Gopal Varma | Ram Gopal Varma |
| 2001 | Monsoon Wedding | Parabatlal “P.K.” Dubey | Mira Nair | Mira Nair, Caroline Baron |
| 2001 | Aks | Yeda Yakub | Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra | Amitabh Bachchan Corporation |
| 2002 | Company | Koda Singh | Ram Gopal Varma | Ram Gopal Varma, Boney Kapoor |
| 2002 | Road | Villager | Rajat Mukherjee | Ram Gopal Varma |
| 2002 | Shakti: The Power | Beeja | Krishna Vamsi | Sridevi Kapoor |
| 2003 | Chura Liyaa Hai Tumne | Chingar | Sangeeth Sivan | Vibha Bhatnagar |
| 2003 | Mumbai Matinee | Baba | Anant Balani | Rangita Pritish Nandy |
| 2003 | Pran Jaye Par Shaan Na Jaye | Ganpat | Sanjay Jha | Raj Lalchandani |
| 2004 | Run | Ganesh | Jeeva | Boney Kapoor |
| 2004 | Raghu Romeo | Raghu | Rajat Kapoor | Naseeruddin Shah |
| 2004 | Yuva | Dablu | Mani Ratnam | Mani Ratnam |
| 2005 | Mumbai Xpress | Digambar | Singeetam Srinivasa Rao | Kamal Haasan |
| 2005 | Deewane Huye Paagal | Babloo | Vikram Bhatt | Firoz A. Nadiadwala |
| 2006 | Fool & Final | Munna | Ahmed Khan | Firoz A. Nadiadwala |
| 2007 | Dhamaal | Dev Kumar “DK” Malik | Indra Kumar | Indra Kumar |
| 2007 | Anwar | Master Pasha | Manish Jha | Rajesh Thakkar |
| 2007 | Welcome | Fake Director | Anees Bazmee | Firoz A. Nadiadwala |
| 2007 | Bombay to Goa | Lal | Raj Pendurkar | Raj Pendurkar |
| 2008 | Hari Puttar: A Comedy of Terrors | Filter | Lucky Kohli | Munish Purii |
| 2008 | Krazzy 4 | Drunkard | Jaideep Sen | Rakesh Roshan |
| 2009 | Delhi-6 | Inspector Ranvijay | Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra | Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra |
| 2009 | Barah Aana | Yadav | Raja Menon | Raja Menon, Giulia Achilli |
| 2009 | Jugaad | Murli | R. Anand Kumar | Sandeep Kapur |
| 2010 | West Is West | Tanvir | Andy De Emmony | Leslee Udwin |
| 2010 | No Problem | Suicidal Man | Anees Bazmee | Anil Kapoor |
| 2011 | Delhi Belly | Somayajulu | Abhinay Deo | Aamir Khan Productions |
| 2011 | Bin Bulaye Baraati | Chetta Singh | Chandrakant Singh | Dhanraj Jethani |
| 2012 | Department | Sawatya | Ram Gopal Varma | Ram Gopal Varma |
| 2012 | Ata Pata Laapata | Munshiji | Rajpal Yadav | Radha Kishan |
| 2012 | Gali Gali Chor Hai | Chhote | Rumi Jaffery | Nitin Manmohan |
| 2013 | Jolly LLB | Kaalia | Subhash Kapoor | Fox Star Studios |
| 2014 | Dedh Ishqiya | Jaan Mohammad | Abhishek Chaubey | Vishal Bhardwaj |
| 2014 | Mr Joe B. Carvalho | M.K. | Samir Tewari | Bhola Ram Malviya |
| 2015 | Kaaki Sattai (Tamil) | Durai | R. S. Durai Senthilkumar | Dhanush |
| 2015 | Monsoon Mangoes (Malayalam) | Prem Kumar | Abi Varghese | Unknown |
| 2015 | Second Hand Husband | Inspector Rakesh | Smeep Kang | Gakhal Brothers |
| 2015 | Pocket Gangsters | Madhubali | Hemant Nilim Das | Vikram Makhija |
| 2016 | Sanam Teri Kasam | Mariam’s Father | Radhika Rao | Deepak Mukut |
| 2016 | Saat Uchakkey | Jaggi | Sanjeev Sharma | Wave Cinemas |
| 2016 | Gandhigiri | Bakait Singh | Sanoj Mishra | Aaghaaz Entertainment |
| 2016 | Santa Banta Pvt Ltd | Arvind | Akashdeep Sabir | Viacom 18 Motion Pictures |
| 2017 | Guest iin London | Mr. Mehta | Ashwni Dhir | Panorama Studios |
| 2018 | Stree | Shastri | Amar Kaushik | Dinesh Vijan |
| 2018 | Lupt | Dev | Prabhuraj | Hanwant Khatri |
| 2018 | Pataakha | Shanti’s Father | Vishal Bhardwaj | Vishal Bhardwaj |
| 2018 | Thugs of Hindostan | Azhar Ali | Vijay Krishna Acharya | Aditya Chopra |
| 2019 | Setters | Nizam | Ashwini Chaudhary | Lovely Films |
| 2019 | Chopsticks | Faiyaz Bhai | Sachin Yardi | Netflix |
| 2019 | Officer Arjun Singh IPS | Inspector Yadav | Arshad Siddiqui | Sundeep Rana |
| 2019 | Dream Girl | Rajpal | Raaj Shaandilyaa | Ekta Kapoor |
| 2020 | Gulabo Sitabo | Gyanesh Shukla | Shoojit Sircar | Ronnie Lahiri |
| 2020 | Lootcase | Bala Rathore | Rajesh Krishnan | Fox Star Studios |
| 2020 | Suraj Pe Mangal Bhari | Chinmay’s Uncle | Abhishek Sharma | Zee Studios |
| 2021 | Toofaan | Jafar Bhai | Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra | Farhan Akhtar |
| 2021 | Sherni | Professor Hassan Noorani | Amit Masurkar | Bhushan Kumar |
| 2022 | Janhit Mein Jaari | Kewal Prajapati | Jai Basantu Singh | Vinod Bhanushali |
| 2022 | Gangubai Kathiawadi | Raziabai | Sanjay Leela Bhansali | Sanjay Leela Bhansali |
| 2022 | 36 Farmhouse | Raunak Singh | Ram Ramesh Sharma | Zee Studios |
| 2022 | Odd Couple | Yogesh Pant | Prashant Johari | Pen N Camera International |
| 2023 | Kathal | MLA Munnalal Pateria | Yashowardhan Mishra | Guneet Monga |
| 2023 | Dream Girl 2 | Sona Bhai | Raaj Shaandilyaa | Ekta Kapoor |
| 2024 | Murder in Mahim | Shivajirao Surve | Raj Acharya | Tips Films |
| 2024 | Chandu Champion | Tiger Ali | Kabir Khan | Sajid Nadiadwala |