Vikramjeet Virk

Early life

Vikramjeet was born as the fourth child of a farmer, Sukhwant Singh Virk and housewife, Harjinder Kaur Virk on 19 July 1984, in a village called Tharwa Majra, in Karnal district, situated in Haryana. Despite his humble background, Virk says he had dreamed of becoming a model since his school days in Haryana as his friends thought Virk had the physique to be one.

Career

Virk moved to Delhi in 2003 to pursue his Graduation from Delhi University and it was at this time he started his modelling career. He took his first step in the world of fashion on 19 July 2003, according to Virk's Official Website. His first assignment was "Lakme India Fashion Week". He went on to do many projects with noted fashion photographers as well as some music videos. Virk who is a devout Sikh says that to choose to model as his career was a tough one as it meant he would have to cut his hair which is against to religious beliefs of Sikhs and also because his parents were against it. He said:

I was in a state of dilemma and the urge to follow my passion gripped me with such intensity that I started to spend sleepless nights. One fine day, I decided to cut my hair. I shot my portfolio and auditioned for the Lakme Fashion Week. I had few friends in the modelling industry and they provided me with some contacts and necessary guidance. I cleared the audition and on July 19, 2003, on the day of my birthday, I walked the ramp for the first time. That was the best moment in my life, and since then the journey has been amazing. But till date, I feel a tinge of unhappiness when I see myself in short hair.

Virk described his modelling career as follows:

I didn't do too many modelling assignments because of certain rules that I'd set for myself. I don't drink, smoke or party. I sleep early and am an early riser too. I'm also a very religious person and visit the gurudwara every single day. These things aren't complementary to a modelling career, and that restricted it for me. But yes, I did carve a niche for myself in the modelling world in a short time and walked the ramp for leading designers and brands

Virk got his first Bollywood break when he bagged his first assignment with renowned director, Ashutosh Gowarikar's Khelein Hum Jee Jaan Sey, a movie based on the historical Chittagong Revolt set in the era of Indian Freedom Struggle. Virk played a negative role of a British police officer named Inspector Assanullah Khan. He was then roped in for a Malayalam movie opposite veteran actor Mohanlal in Casanovva, directed by Roshan Andrews. He played the lead antagonist named Alexi in this movie. The film was released in January 2012. Virk was applauded for his performance in the film especially for his action sequences.

According to Virk, during the shoot of Casanova in Dubai, he got a random call from producers who were planning a historical show for Zee Tv. He was cast in the role of Mahmud of Ghazni in Shobha Somnath Ki, 2011. Virk's portrayal was widely applauded and received his first award for his performance in the series and bagged the Best Actor in Negative Role (Best Khalnayak) Award of 2011 in Zee Rishtey Awards. He also did three more TV shows as Kaalkey in Jai Jag Janani Maa Durga, (2012); Banasura in Devon Ke Dev...Mahadev (2014) and Triloki in Maharakshak Aryan (2014).

Virk then went on to do two projects in Tollywood, Heart Attack and Bhimavaram Bullodu, where he played the characters Makarand Kamatti and Vikram respectively. He has been cast into two other Telugu films, Rudhramadevi as King Mahadeva Nayakudu and Sher as Pappi. During an interview with The Indian Express Virk was asked about his choice of roles; he remarked:

I want to experiment with newer characters. I want to make it big in the industry by doing roles that will help me improve as an actor.