Tanuj Virwani and his wife welcomed their first child - a baby girl, on Sunday (September 24). In an exclusive conversation with NDTV's Hardika Gupta, the actor opened up about embracing fatherhood. He said, "The past couple of days have been nothing short of surreal. It doesn't matter how prepared you think you are; when the moment is finally upon you and you're actually expecting, and you're right there in the thick of things in the labour room and the delivery room-watching the child being born in front of your eyes, it's the most life-altering, magical feeling in the whole wide world."
Recalling the first time Tanuj held his newborn daughter in his arms, he said, "I was honestly scared because she was so small and fragile. I kept telling myself to be very careful, and they (doctors and nurses) guided me, saying, 'You must rest; make sure her head doesn't drop and hold her in a certain way.' But the moment I managed to get into the right position and held her against my chest, it felt like we were instantly connected. It's something that is still kind of sinking in, and it's truly been fantastic. I consider both myself and my wife, Tanya, very fortunate and blessed. Everything went smoothly, and there were no complications, so we were very relieved and happy about that."
In an adorable picture shared exclusively with NDTV, Tanuj Virwani is seen holding his daughter against his chest. He reminisced about the special moment when his baby girl had hiccups. "I still remember she had hiccups. The moment her head touched my shoulder, everything just stopped. It was as if she was at peace, which gave me a lot of confidence. My little one is truly a delight."
Tanuj concluded, "As a first-time father, I had my own share of doubts, thinking, "Yaar, I don't know how it's going to be," but it's truly the most incredible feeling to know that you have played a part in creating life. It's been amazing."
For the unversed, Tanuj Virwani and his longtime girlfriend Tanya Jacob got married on December 25.
On the professional front, Tanuj Virwani made his Bollywood debut with Luv U Soniyo in 2013. He has since appeared in films such as Purani Jeans, One Night Stand and Yodha. Tanuj has also appeared in several web series including Inside Edge, Poison, Code M, Illegal - Justice, Out of Order, The Tattoo Murders and Cartel.
His upcoming projects include a quirky film titled Johnny Jumper, directed by Mickey Virus director Saurabh Varma. This film also features Vijay Raaz, Brijendra Kalra, Zakir Hussain and Zarina Wahab, and is expected to release in a few months. Additionally, Tanuj will appear in the Applause show DAU Mumbai (Domestic Anti-Terrorist Unit Mumbai), which stars Rahul Dev. He is also working on a rom-com tentatively titled Puppy Love, featuring Tridha Choudhary, Divya Agarwal, and Nikki Tamboli. Furthermore, he is filming the second season of Rana Naidu alongside Rana Daggubati, Venkatesh, and Surveen Chawla among others.