You have been a part of this industry for more than three decades. How do you look back at your journey?
I feel really satisfied with my journey. I have got opportunities to work with some phenomenal filmmakers and actors. I have played some very good roles in many films. For me, it doesn’t matter how many years I am in this industry. What matters is how much space I have been able to make for myself in the hearts of my audiences in these past three decades. And my journey hasn’t ended yet. In fact, I have been getting far more challenging and interesting roles now than before. I am happy and content about my journey so far but I am more excited and thrilled for what lays ahead.
How did the acting bug bite you?
I actually never thought that I would become an actor. But I always wanted to do something special, something that would make people recognize my family and me. I never wanted a clichéd life. I used to read a lot of autobiographies of great personalities and it influenced me a lot during my growing up years. In order to do my further studies, I came to Delhi. I did very well in the cultural activities – be it singing, writing poetry, doing theaters, participating in debates etc. I eventually became the head of the cultural committee. I got a lot of appreciation from my friends and faculty. They praised my acting abilities and suggested I should take up acting as a career. I took their suggestion seriously and filled out the form for the National School of Drama (NSD) and I got selected. Ibrahim Alkazi, who was the director of NSD then, was a rigid discipliner. I learned a lot from him.
In many of your previous interviews, you have shared interesting anecdotes from your NSD days. How was your experience?
I did not have it easy during my initial days at the NSD. All the students and the faculties were all English educated and had a western approach. While I, on the other hand, had completed my studies at a Government school. I found the environment extremely uncomfortable. I got bullied a lot for my tone and language. I used to feel inferior to Naseeruddin Shah, Anupam Kher, Satish Kaushik and others who were there with me at NSD at the time. I was on the verge of quitting but then better sense prevailed in me and I continued with it after Alkazi sir spoke to me and motivated me to go on.
Is there anybody you met at NSD and you still share a great bond with that person to date?
There is Anupam Kher, Satish Kaushik and others. We all have worked together in many films. Even today, we share a great bond off-screen too when we meet up.
One film that you believe has changed your career for good…
I feel ‘Prem Grant’ was the turning point in my career. Although the film did not do well commercially, I believe that I benefited the most from it. I garnered a lot of appreciation for my negative role in the film. Madhuri was already a top actress at the time. During one of the special screenings of the film, the first appreciation I was received from none other than Dilip Kumar. Later actors like Amitabh Bachchan and Vinod Khanna also came forward to congratulate me on my good work. After ‘Prem Grant’, I signed 2-3 big commercial films. Since then, there has been no looking back for me.
Did you ever find yourself carrying your on screen character even after the camera has stopped rolling?
I have played some hardcore villains in my career. I believe that whatever negativity I have had inside of me, I have let it out through my performance. I have actually found peace after playing negative roles. I have never carried my on-screen character after the camera has stopped rolling. For me, it ends when I hear the word ‘cut’.
Have you ever had a crazy fan experience over your negative characters on screen?
I have had a lot of crazy fan experiences, not only with people outside, but with my own family. My relatives were scared of me. My nephews and nieces used to be scared of me and would maintain a distance while talking with me. I had to go the extra mile to explain them that I am not like my on screen characters in real life. At the same time, I have got a lot of appreciation for my performances. Even when I go abroad, people gather around me and talk to me about my roles that they have loved. I really feel blessed.
Do you think the larger-than-life villains have vanished from the screen today?
Yes, I do feel that the roles of villains have drastically changed over the years and I really appreciate the change as an actor. Earlier we used to have larger-than-life villains. Now, we have villains who are from our everyday life, which is more relatable. Writers earlier used to imagine these larger-than-life villains and audiences accepted them as they used to like such creativity back then. Today, actors have a very realistic approach to acting. Young actors like Alia Bhatt not only take the responsibility of an entire film on their shoulders but also pull it off successfully. I truly admire this. It is amazing. I hope more and more actors come into this industry and make a name for themselves with their talent.
Were you a movie buff growing up?
I used to love watching films but I used to not have money to go and watch a movie in a theater. I used to love Mahipal movies. He used to do realistic films and I loved them. I loved Rishi Kapoor and his films. He was sort of a young icon when I was growing up so I could relate to him. His innocence, his way of talking, singing and dancing used to appeal a lot to me. I also loved the heroism of Amitabh Bachchan and Vinod Khanna. As far as Dilip Kumar ji is concerned, he stood apart from the rest. I learned a lot from him when I joined this industry. He has and will always be my guru.
OTT has been a gamechanger for many actors…
OTT has brought in a revolution. It has given everybody work. Because of it, everybody is trying to do and give their best. It has become survival of the fittest. You have to continuously be different and be the best to survive. There are so many avenues for an actor to showcase his talent. I feel really blessed to still be a part of this industry and witness this revolution.
You have a line-up of some very interesting projects ahead of you…
I can’t talk much about them but I have a really interesting line-up of projects as you said. I have films like, ‘Bhool Bhulaiyaa 2’ where I play a very strong character. I am also a part of ‘OMG 2’ with Akshay Kumar where I play a very different character than the first installation. In ‘Woh Ladki Hai Kahan?’, I play a character that I have never seen myself play on screen. It will be a first for me.
Apart from these, I also have a web series, ‘Alien Frank’ where I am playing the role of Adolf Hitler, Although it is not like I had imagined it to be, I had fun playing it. I loved prepping up for the character, right from getting the body language right to the looks. It was quite challenging.
,