Mumbai, March 2: He broke away from his hero image by playing a shady godman in “Aashram” and later a villain in “Animal”. Now, Bobby Deol says he is trying to do it once again as he has been flooded with offers for negative characters.
Deol, who also played antagonistic roles in “Race 3”, “Love Hostel” and “Kanguva”, said while it is exciting and challenging to portray villains, he wants to explore new and different roles.
He credits filmmaker Prakash Jha for changing people’s perception of him through the character of Baba Nirala in “Aashram”. The show recently returned with the second part of its third season.
“It changed my life, people saw me in a different light. They said, ‘Oh, Bobby Deol can play an antagonist, or Bobby Deol can be like this or like that.’ At that point in my life, no one was ready to believe that I could do that besides Prakashji.
“But now again, I’m getting typecast a lot. I’m trying to break away from this image also. It’s not that I want to play the main lead,” Deol told PTI in an interview. The positive reception to his recent performances has been motivating, said the actor, who completes 30 years in the industry this year. He made his acting debut with 1995’s “Barsaat”, co-starring Twinkle Khanna.
“The characters I’m playing right now are outside my comfort zone. Initially, I felt shy about it because stepping into these roles meant pushing myself and working really hard.
“There’s always a bit of hesitation about how others will react to your work. But when the response is positive, it feels good. Deep down, every human being wants to be told they’re good at what they do. And when you put in the hard work and receive so much love in return, it’s just an amazing feeling.” (PTI)