You have been one actor who has enjoyed the best of both worlds, What do you enjoy more – playing the lead or the villain?
I enjoy the process of acting in its entirety. Essaying different parts and lending my best to each character, giving it flesh, blood and life whilst keeping the director’s vision intact. There’s a strong urge inside me to collaborate with creative casting directors, writers, and directors who bring out the best in my potential.
In fact, I had a recent meeting with Mukesh Chhabra and it was very heartening to know his point of view on how my potential could be best utilised in today’s films. He pointed out the many versatile ways I could be used by our industry, not necessarily in negative roles, irrespective of any perception, which gives me a lot of encouragement. It was wonderful to observe the depth of understanding he had about films and characters. It is no miracle that he’s flooded with so many projects.
He also pointed out my style quotient and how breaking away from that would help me. It has given me hope to find a large variety of roles. I must say that the South directors could recognise that I have a certain character which can be utilised in their stories and films which made my journey a successful and memorable one there. Now I observe that the directors here also are looking for something different, creating believable characters which gives me great encouragement.
During my stint in Telugu, Tamil, Kannada and Malayalam movies, people initially thought it might be difficult for me to look native enough. However, acceptance came and it made me a household name.
Do you think the concept of remakes will be lost eventually with more and more pan-India releases?
I don’t foresee that happening. It is the difference between watching a film in a language one knows with familiar faces as opposed to watching a dubbed version. Audiences down south also have been segregated into four states. I have worked in all four languages down south and can safely say that each region has a set of actors or stars that have their own unique following in the same manner as the Hindi-speaking audiences have their own actors or stars they follow.
Did you ever feel your success was hindered due to the first move advantage or sense of entitlement felt by actors who come from film families, as opposed to someone like you who was a complete outsider?
To be fair, I don’t think so. Being from the industry has its advantages, but if you sincerely look around, the largest success stories are that of the outsiders, be it Mr Amitabh Bachchan, Dharmendra, Vinod Khanna, Rajesh Khanna, Shatrughan Sinha from the earlier lot and the three legendary Khans or Akshay Kumar are all outsiders. They have the most successful stories. So I can’t generalise anything.
What has been your biggest learning over the years?
My biggest learning over the years has been perseverance, dedication, being true to your craft and most importantly being a good human being.
Do you regret taking up any roles in your career?
Honestly, I don’t look at life in that manner. I feel that the universe is very giving. What you are meant to receive, shall come to you, irrespective of the hurdles. It’s important to give it your best without having any regrets.
Which is the most challenging role you have played in your career so far?
The first film is always the most challenging. There is a desire to be accepted, one is a bit unsure about acceptance and about finding the way ahead.
You have been someone who has worked actively in the South as well as in Hindi films. What are your thoughts on the latest success of regional films in the Hindi-speaking belt?
They are spending a lot of time developing the story or the narrative, which is the most important thing in any film. The audiences get attracted to stories they can relate to, irrespective of larger than life or very real, or natural life stories.
Tell us something about your upcoming projects…
There is the ‘1920’ sequel which I am currently working on. I am a part of a web series named ‘Adhura’ with Nikkhil Advani’s Emmay Entertainment. It is directed by Gauravv Chawla and Ananya Banerjee. I am also a part of ‘Gaslight’. We need to wait for the announcements of the other projects. I won’t be able to share the names because of stringent NDAs.
