Vijay Varma and Tamannaah Bhatia broke up last year after two years of dating each other. A while back, Vijay revealed that he opted for silence and a gap of 14 months from the public eye to bring the focus
back on his work. In his words, the conversation about him became about ‘everything else’ but work, alluding to his relationship and eventual split.
While the duo didn’t officially confirm their break-up in so many words, speculations started doing the rounds on what could the reason behind that be. Some reports stated that it was differing views on a future together. Now, speaking exclusively to News18, Vijay says that the intense scrutiny on him left a bad taste in his mouth.
“When we were growing up, saying something bad about someone on a public platform was frowned upon and not appreciated. Those who badmouthed were considered to be wrong. Abhi sab kuch ulta ho gaya hai. Jo gaali de raha hai, usko koi kuch nahi bol raha hai. The one who’s being subjected to these abuses will, in fact, have more people badmouthing rather than supporting them,” he says.
For the unversed, in December last year, Bhumi Satish Pednekkar also spoke about how she took a nine-month break from acting due to excessive trolling. During that period, she had reduced her public presence, said no to movies, award shows, fashion events, and even returned signing amounts. The hiatus eventually helped her focus on personal growth.
Vijay too recalls the negative things and ‘lies’ that were constantly written about him in the past one year. “The world is changing so fast. I’m not able to catch up. There has been an entire shift in the culture. The way people communicate and write comments is a little too excessive, direct and personal. Sometimes, there’s too much fabrication and too many lies [written about you],” he states.
What the gap also helped him with is rebuilding his bond with his support system. “I realised that I didn’t want to be a part of all this. So, I went back and focused on what works for me – creating characters and telling stories. That also gave me a chance to reconnect with my family. I recently moved into a bigger house. I make sure that my family visits me more often,” he tells us.
The Darlings and Gully Boy actor further adds, “In fact, this is the third time that my mom is visiting me. She, along with my nieces and sister, is with me right now. I’m spending a lot of time with them. I’ve also begun prioritising my friends.” According to him, the last few years created a gap between him and his friends and he’s trying to bridge it now.
“I realised that I wasn’t showing up for them as I would always remain busy with work. If I know that I’m free on a certain day, I immediately make plans with them. I’m now focused on bringing back a sense of belonging and reconnect with those who are my anchor,” says the actor, who’s gearing up for the release of Matka King.
