Meet the new age B-Town villains, who do not think being bad is too bad

Actors in the past have been apprehensive about playing negative roles especially newcomers who chase their dream of being launched as protagonists in bigbudget releases Blame it on apprehension or sheer arrogance although in most cases both the qualities have worked in tandem making it impossible for an actor to explore new avenues hitlist shortlists the names of five actors who have not just redefined the role of villains but also convinced the audience to favour both the protagonist and the antagonistGulshan DevaiahAfter being a drug dealer and smoking pot in previous films we thought Gulshan Devaiah was content being stuck in that gear Until he got the muchneeded kick to explore new avenues On hindsight the change came quite dramatically as he acknowledged the widespread tale ldquoShruti Mahajan the casting director of Goliyon Ki RaasleelamdashRamLeela saw me running errands at Versova many times Finally she gave me a call and asked me to meet Sanjay Leela Bhansali We had a 20minute meeting and things were finalisedrdquo If that didnrsquot amaze you then this might many actors are famous for the corelations they make in order to bring forth a character The actor shared a very interesting method that he applied ldquoI thought I should be like a wolf that is not in the forefront but lurking in the shadows I think one might have seen that come across I often use animal associations to get to the depth of the characterrdquoTahir Raj BhasinAs the actor claims it took him a yearandahalf to get the antagonistrsquos role in the film Mardaani He says ldquoIn Mardaani I played the role of a villain behind a drug and prostitution racket Where do you go after that You cannot possibly get more evil But it has opened up this whole range of characters that are grey and characters that are absolutely romantic and a good actor versus a starrdquo He is of the opinion that playing a negative role is just another experiment for a good actor and ldquointernationally protagonists are no longer black or white they are people with shades of grey The Indian audience is progressing towards this trendrdquo On what brought out his character in Mardaani he says ldquoWatching dealers in Mumbairsquos redlight area and being given the freedom to play the part against the stereotype and a lot of rehearsals helped me improviserdquoSharad Kelkar If you havenrsquot watched Lai Bhaari because of linguistic shortcomings get hold of your Maharashtrian friend and watch the film for the incredible performance of Sharad Kelkar When he comes on the screen you might feel like you have seen the guy somewhere You have because he played a grey character in Goliyon Ki Raasleelandash RamLeela and has also garnered considerable fame as a television actor In Lai Bhaari he returns with a greyer shade that won him his first film award While he asserts that an award gives a little more appreciation he is prouder to have been able to contribute to a team effort that made Lai Bhaari the highest grossing Marathi film of all time As to whether the movie has shot him into the limelight or not he says ldquoIt has obviously helped but I want to experiment with new characters I have to be careful because as of now I have only received offers to play a similar kinds of roles As an actor I want to keep experimenting and I am here to learn so I do not want to take up every role that comes my way because I do not want to grow as an image but as actorrdquoFreddy Daruwala Already kneedeep in the modelling industry this actor decided to walk through the heavilyflooded alleys of Bollywood This gigantic leap like the one faced by most of us after a few seconds into a game of Temple Run usually ends in a disastrous fall However Freddy proved himself by an impressive and promising act in the film Holiday opposite Akshay Kumar According to Freddy ldquoThe actors of our time are very adventurous we are not clicheacuted villains If you look at the role played by Tahir Bhasin or myself we are just common people who are part of the society We play the role of normal guys with bad intentionsrdquo Although most newcomers are apprehensive Freddy argued otherwise ldquoI did not have any apprehensions because I saw it as a big step forward to get a chance to work with Akshay Kumar Sonakshi Sinha and AR Murugadoss the director of the film is not an opportunity that one should missrdquoManav Kaul Here is an actor who need not have bothered about the matinee fame Manav Kaul is already an acclaimed playwright and actor in the theatre circle Why did he choose Bollywood then He says ldquoI agree that both arts are very different in cinema the audience comes really close to you When the audience is staring at your face you have to live the character I love this aspect of cinema because whatever is in your heart can be felt by the audiencerdquo Besides he was very overawed by Hansal Mehtarsquos Shahid which did not allow him any second thoughts when he was considered for Citylights He adds ldquoI am just two films old in Bollywood after Kai Po Che and Citylights but I will never leave theatre because that is what I breathe When Hansal shared the role with me he also gave me complete freedom to interpret the role I did not approach the character as if I am approaching the character of a villain but with the sincerity that I have approached every theatre character till date So it was sincerity towards the character that worked for merdquo It did indeed as Manavrsquos act of Vijay sir in Citylights had the audience and critics raving