The famed actor on his new role on television and his penchant for picking unusual projects What is your role on Star Pluss new show,Gulaal?I play Dushyant,who is the main antagonist on the show. I cant reveal much right now,but its safe to say that hes more than just an all-black character. There are many layers to him,different shades of grey hes a complex individual. Of course,most viewers might end up viewing him as the quintessential villain. What made you pick a daily show like Gulaal?Well,I go for television every three or four years,when my bank balance starts to dip. But jokes apart,what attracted me to this show was the unusual storyline which is of a girl who can find water in the desert sands of her native Kutch. Also,the scale of the show is huge. Its almost like a movie in its conception. Besides that,its a show produced by Sphere Origins,a reputed television production house,and its being launched on Star Plus,which is currently the number one channel in the country. Youre well-known for picking unusual films like Satya,Hulla and Rakht Charitra. Is it always there at the back of your mind to stay off the beaten path?Sometimes I think that unusual films pick me. Ive managed to remain an outsider since Im not part of any camp. And filmmakers are kind enough to think of me when they come up with different roles. But honestly,the main reason I end up doing non-mainstream cinema is because they offer good stories and exciting roles. Which role are you most proud of?At the cost of sounding immodest,I think I did full justice to my character Sukhdev in The Legend of Bhagat Singh. A lot of the credit goes to Rajkumar Santoshi for the fantastic lines and script. But I guess my breakthrough role was as Durga Narayan Chaudhary in Jungle. Thats when people really took notice of me. Is there a role which you wish somebody would offer you?I wish people would offer me the roles that ultimately go to Aamir Khan,Shah Rukh Khan and Hrithik Roshan. What other projects can we look forward to seeing you in?Sudhir Mishras Yeh Saali Zindagi will see me play a rather twisted cop. It was initially meant to be a cameo,but Sudhir liked my performance enough to elaborate on it. Another release will be Mirch,which features an ensemble cast,including Konkona Sen Sharma,Boman Irani and Shahana Goswami. This is made up of four different stories,and I play a film producer who is,again,a rather twisted character.
