Friendship Day 2025: How A Friend’s Loan Took A Hyderabad Dreamer to Bollywood
Most stories in Bollywood begin with talent, hustle, or luck. But some begin with friendship. This is one such story.
By ETV Bharat Entertainment Team
Published : August 3, 2025 at 2:04 PM IST
Hyderabad: If there had been no fee, there would have been no FTII Pune. Without FTII, there may have been no theatre and short films in Mumbai, no Chittagong, no Pink, and certainly no Moeen in Gully Boy or the Tyagi twins in Mirzapur.
All of that might never have happened if not for one act of friendship that changed everything.
On Friendship Day 2025, we spotlight a story that puts friendship at centre stage.
Vijay Varma was born on 29 March 1986 into a Marwari business family in Hyderabad. Before acting, Vijay tried many fields. Software, fashion, marketing, even theatre until he realised that acting was not a hobby, it was his calling. But admitting to that dream felt impossible, even to himself.
Determined, Vijay applied to the Film and Television Institute of India (FTII) in Pune without his family's knowledge. His first attempt failed. When he reapplied and cleared the entrance exam, he faced his single biggest obstacle. He lacked the fee.
In an interview, he talked about how FTII happened for him, as he shared, I had everything required to get admission to FTII, except the money for the fee. And I couldn’t ask my father for it because I’d already taken money from him for a few other courses. So, a dear friend of mine offered to pay my fees and that’s that."
That friend with deep pockets was Vijay Ramnani, a fellow Hyderabadi from a business family. Ramani gave the funds to pay the FTII fees and turned Vijay’s hope into reality.
After two years at FTII, Vijay moved to Mumbai in 2008 and began performing in short films and theatre. His acting debut came from a short called Shor (2008), followed by Chittagong (2012), Rangrezz (2013) and Gang of Ghosts (2014).
It was Pink (2016) that marked his break; though his role was supporting, it left an impression. But the film that changed everything was Gully Boy (2019), in which he played Moeen Arif, a mentor figure to Ranveer Singh’s character. The performance earned acclaim and set Vijay on a new trajectory in cinema.
After that came Mirzapur, in which he played dual roles as the Tyagi brothers, showcasing his range as actor. Other notable performances followed in popular series and films like Darlings, Dahaad, Kaalkoot, Jaane Jaan and IC 814: The Kandahar Hijack.
All of it was possible because one friend believed before anyone else would.
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