"Bigg Boss was a big break for me!" - Vijay Vikram Singh

With an MBA in International Business, and a permanent job, Vijay Vikram Singh was climbing up the corporate ladder and never dreamt of making it big in the world of entertainment. He and his family were happy that he had achieved the middle class dream of doing an MBA and getting a good job which came with a lavish accommodation. However, during his transfer to Mumbai, Vijay got introduced to the media world, "I was transferred to Mumbai in 2005 and my company gave me a lavish 2 BHK flat in Pali Hill, Bandra. That soon became an adda for my friends who came along with their own friends and we would have many parties over the weekend. That is when I met media people who encouraged me to try my hand at voice overs since they thought I had a deep and good voice."

After many such compliments, Vijay took the plunge without thinking twice about the outcome and quit his job. He was lucky enough to get a job at 92.7 Big FM where he worked in the Business Development and Client servicing team. That was the place where he honed his skills and also where his talent got noticed, "I am very thankful to Big FM since once I was there I had a job with a steady income and also a chance to pursue doing voice overs. They also gave me a Sunday afternoon show to host. I have to thank all of those who encouraged me when I was with Big, especially Tarun Katial and Arjun Singh who went out of the way to make things easy for me."

Just like the other RJs of the radio station, Vijay too was send for training, "Once I started doing voice overs for Big FM I was send me to Khodas Wadia who is a leading voice over training expert who helped me a lot in grooming my voice. After this I started doing voice overs for promos for TV shows which had tie-ups with Big FM. It is then that I met Ajay Golwalkar who was then with Zee TV and is now with Star Plus. I started off with doing the voice overs for Dance India Dance - Season 1 and have done all the seasons so far."

There was no looking back for Vijay after this. His strong support also came in the form of his wife Geetanjali, who supported him as he went ahead to pursue his dreams, "I got married and told my wife Geetanjali about my plans of taking up voicing as a full time career. She was a working woman and she told me to go ahead and not worry about anything else. It was in 2009 when I finally quit my job and got full time into voicing."

He went on to do many TV shows after that but the biggest break came with the reality show Bigg Boss 4. Not to be confused with the Bigg Boss voice, Vijay is the one who gives the background narration of what is happening at what time, "I started doing the narration for Bigg Boss from Season 4. It was a big break for me and I enjoy doing it to the fullest. I am told to be stern yet neutral and not give away emotions."

Currently, he is also doing voice-overs for Nach Baliye Season 6 and for Dance India Dance season 4 so how does he manage? "Due to Bigg Boss I am based in Lonavala during the week and come back to Mumbai over the weekend when I catch up on the work in town. However, I also have my own set-up and can record and send the voice recording wherever it is needed if I am not in Mumbai."

He was recently seen in one of the episodes of Bigg Boss Saath 7 on Colors where the contestants were given a task to ignore whoever entered the house even as they try to get their attention. Vijay says he enjoyed the experience thoroughly, "It was fun to do that segment. I was inside the house for almost 35 minutes but only couple of minutes were shown on TV."

After his own experience in the Bigg Boss house, Vijay is all admiration for the contestants. "It is tough to spend time there... I was inside for only 35 minutes but the contestants are there for days altogether. They have to sit, work, play games but there is no way to relax. If they go inside thinking that they are going to a resort then they are wrong. It is very taxing for the inmates since there is no TV, no family, no friends, no way you can relax and feel fine if any time you are depressed or feel sad or angry!"

He has been receiving compliments for his short stint on Bigg Boss and Vijay now has ambitions to get into acting, "Why not? Acting might be the next step for me since after seeing myself on screen I too feel like I can do it. I have not started as yet since I am busy with Bigg Boss but acting in films and TV both is on my wish list now. Apart from that, I would also want to be a presenter on a sports channel because I am an avid sports lover and player too at various levels."

We wish you all the very best Vijay for all your endeavors!

Seema Khot Mattoo