What are some unknown facts about the actor Vijay Raaz?

 Vijay Raaz is not only a capable actor but also a director who directed the film Kya Dilli Kya Lahore which received a lot of critical acclaim. The film is about two soldiers striking a bond on the two side of the India Pakistan Border. The film is based on a very popular play of the same name.

Vijay Raaz is generally considered to be a character artist but he has played lead roles in a few award winning films. His most significant film in the lead role apart from his own Kya Dilli Kya Lahore, is Raghu Romeo (2003). This criminally underrated film won a National award for Best Film in Hindi.

Vijay Raaz was first noticed in the film Monsoon wedding (2001) which was a crossover film by Mira Nair. Crossover films have Indian cast members but at generally Hollywood productions or produced jointly by Indian and foreign productions for their market. Vijay Raaz since then appeared in multiple crossover films like the Morning Raga (the film for which Shabana Azmi almost won the National award for Best Actress), American Daylight and Hari Om etc.

Vijay Raaz’s wife Krishna Raaz is also an actress with whom Vijay Raaz worked in the film Raghu Romeo in which she played a dancer. That film was the debut film of Krishna Raaz. However she has worked only occasionally in films with less than 10 films in 20 years of her career.

What are some unknown facts about the actor Vijay Raaz?

 Vijay Raaz’s debut film was Bhopal Express but his breakthrough was the character of “Dubeji”, in Monsoon Wedding.

Vijay Raaz got both the above mentioned films by the recommendation of Naseeeudin Shah.

Raaz and Nawazuddin Siddiqui were roommates during their struggling days and often survived on Parle-G biscuits.

He has done many plays in the National School of Drama. His first play was Pagal Ghar in which he played the role of an inspector.

His good voice quality has lend him several ad commercials and films.

Raaz was arrested at Abu Dhabi Airport in 2005 when drugs was found in one of his bags. He claimed that he was unaware about how it landed in his luggage and was released as there was no solid evidence against him.

He was also accused of molesting a crew member during the shooting of Vidya Balan starrer, Sherni. He had to leave the film midway. Recently he has been acquitted from all the charges that were levied against him.

He got his first lead role in the film Raghu Romeo. Raaz also made his directorial debut with the film Kya Delhi Kya Lahore.

He played the role of a transgender in Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s Gangubai Kathiawadi.

Other than the above Vijay Raaz has given some notable performances in films like Jungle, Run, Welcome, Delhi Belly, Dhamaal, Dedh Ishqiya, Shakti: The Power, Lootcase, Gully Boy and Stree.

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