Who’s That: The Airtel boy with the toy phone

The four year old has a bag full of commercials to his credit

He zooms his bike to a halt when I enter his house. Seeing an unfamiliar face, he gets off his small bike and runs to his mother. I bend down and ask him his name. He sheepishly says, “Virej Dasani.” He is the kid who speaks to his dad on his toy phone in the recent Airtel TV commercial and I recently met him at his home in the suburbs of Mumbai.

Virej has been appearing in advertisements ever since he was a toddler. His first assignment was a Good Knight commercial, when he was just a few months old. It was shot by Vinil Mathew of Footcandles Films – who has done the Airtel commercial as well.

In the past, the four year old has featured in the Odomos, Arthritis Foundation Society and more recently, the Britannia ads. Virej also lends his voice for dubbing. He also has a TV serial to his credit – he was Krishna on Balaji Telefilms’ Kahaani Hamaaray Mahabharat Ki.

Virej’s mother, Jayna, recalls how her son got to be a model. As a child, Jayna participated in plays and got her portfolio done, so when Virej was born, the parents wanted to have his portfolio prepared as well. He was only six months old when the portfolio was shot. “When the photographer said ‘Smile’ he would smile,” says Vinod Dasani, the proud father.

Ask him to mouth the dialogues that he recited in the Airtel ad and he gives you a blank stare. However, Virej is at total ease in front of the camera. The minute our photographer took out his camera, the little actor was ready, giving him just the right shots. Like any other four year old, Virej is a bundle of energy – there isn’t a moment when he sits quiet. He tells me that he goes to Witty International School. However, when I ask him if he likes going to school, he says a firm, “No.”

Does the stress associated with shooting for an ad film take its toll on the child? Jayna says that he isn’t usually very cranky but sometimes he does get tired, as in the case of the Airtel ad (which took three days to complete). But the unit that was shooting was a young lot and kept him entertained. “To our luck, there was a cat on the sets and Virej had found himself a friend,” says Jayna.

So, which cartoon character is Virej fond of? “Popeye,” he yells instantly. In the next breath, he says “Power Rangers,” while constantly jumping off his sofa and doing other antics.

His parents are insistent that their son complete his education, no matter how many lucrative offers come by. His mother tells me that Virej wants to be a pilot when he grows up and when his parents don’t give him something he wants, he threatens them by saying that he won’t take them along on his plane.

(Who's that? is an effort to highlight the lesser known talents from the advertising, media and marketing industry.)