The baddie strikes back

He's one villain who has always been a hero. Be it Dushman or Sangharsh, Ashutosh Rana has always managed to strike a chord with the audience with his big dangerous eyes, suave villainy and beautiful dialogue delivery.

Gearing up to play a 'dangerous politico', as he would describe his character, the baddie of Bollywood talks to CS about the importance of being politically aware and playing negative roles:

Politically correct
I follow politics very closely and enjoy it. After all, you need to apply your political mind all the timeu00a0-- when you are conversing with people in your family, working in office or commuting by train. Politics isn't about the 536 people in the parliament. It is about the 110 people on the road, like you and me.

I believe that the government is made for our benefit and we should never lose control of this power. If we do, it would be like a peon running his master's life. There is a difference between a neta (leader) and a nayak (hero). The neta runs after power while power follows the nayak. A neta walks ahead of society, while the society follows a nayak.

For starters, we need to be clear whether we want to be led by a neta or a nayak. It is heartening to note that the media is making the citizens aware of their rights and exposing politicos. We're becoming an informed people, but we need to be more aggressive.

Be negative
I've always enjoyed playing different kinds of characters. You might say that I specialise in negative roles, but I have always ensured that I don't repeat myself, even when it meant going without work for months. I'm not privileged enough to be a superstaru00a0-- I'm a hardcore actor who gets his opportunities once in a while. I like to grab them whenever they come my way.

Creating memories
We're in the business of production and creation. Production would include making a soap bar that needs to be the same every time you purchase it. But my job is to create, so I try to bring variation to the characters that I play. I might do just 10 films, but it is important for me to be noticed in them and remembered for them.

There are so many villains who have been immortalised thanks to their roles. Gabbar of Sholay, Mogambo in Mr India, Dr Dang of Karma, Langda Tyagi of Omkara are just a few names. I would have loved to play these roles. But then again, I'm sure many actors would kill to play Gokul Pandit of Dushman too. I guess I can't complain, I've been really fortunate to get such powerful roles.

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