Exclusive | CID fame Dayanand Shetty ventures into a romantic role with his upcoming film: 'It is very different from my cop image'

Dayanand Shetty

Known to generations of television audiences as the tough and loyal Inspector Daya from CID, actor Dayanand Shetty is now ready to surprise fans with a completely new side of himself. In an exclusive chat with mid-day, the actor opened up about his upcoming film, Hello Knock Knock Kaun Hai, a closed-room mystery thriller that promises to show him in a never-before-seen light.

Dayanand Shetty gets candid about his role in the film

"This film is a closed-room mystery, a thriller drama. It's not a crime show or a crime film like CID," Shetty said, smiling at the inevitable comparison. "This one's a totally different space, it's thrilling, it's intense, and it keeps you guessing till the end."

The actor revealed that he plays the son of a yesteryear actress, a character full of charisma and flair. "He's very flamboyant and flashy," he explained. "You can't really call him a great actor within the film's world, but every character has a unique backstory. I can't reveal much, but he's a very romantic, stylish personality, something audiences haven't seen me do before."

Dayanand Shetty recalls how he agreed to pick the role

Shetty credited director Prabal Barua for encouraging him to step out of his comfort zone. "When Mr Barua narrated the story, I was like, ‘We have this image of being cops or investigating officers,'" he laughed. "But he said he had something different in mind, a role that would break that image. It was Aditya (Shrivastava) and I, and he described how Aditya's character has this grey, uncertain shade, while mine is flamboyant and suave. I asked him, ‘Do I really fit the bill?' and he said, ‘Perfectly, we'll work on that.' He convinced me, and the rest you'll see on screen."

For an actor synonymous with action and intensity, this shift toward romance and drama is both a challenge and a refreshing change. "It was a completely different experience for me," Shetty said. "I got to explore emotions and a style of performance I hadn't done before."

With this upcoming project, Dayanand Shetty seems all set to remind audiences that there's much more to Daya than just breaking doors, this time, he might just break a few hearts too.