Exclusive! Sanjay Dutt: Villains will be back in our cinema in a bigger and better avatar – Times of India

From the ruthless Kancha Cheena in Agneepath to the lovable goon in the Munna Bhai franchise, Sanjay Dutt has essayed a wide range of characters. His last release KGF: Chapter 2, which saw him playing Adheera, added to his villainous image. And now, he will be seen playing the baddie in two films. The actor plays the antagonist in Leo opposite Vijay, a film that marks his Tamil debut, followed by the multi-lingual KD – The Devil starring Dhruva Sarja.
In the recent time, Dutt has been approached for several projects from the South, and the actor is taking his time picking the best ones. “This is such an interesting period as an actor, where we get all sorts of roles from every corner of the country. The good thing is that the language barrier has disappeared now. With films like KGF and RRR, movies are simply movies now. I am excited about the kind of parts that are being written for me. This is the most fun I have had in my career and I am relishing it,” he says.

He further adds, “I am excited and grateful for the opportunities that are coming my way. I want to act in films that have a connection with the audience. At the end of the day, our job is to entertain the audience. Whether it’s South projects or Hindi films, I want to do good work and be part of films that resonate with people.”
Dutt feels that it is important for an artiste to reinvent himself every day on set. Even though he’s playing the anti-hero in his upcoming films, he thinks that every performance and character should look different from the others. Speaking about his villainous acts in his forthcoming projects, Dutt elaborates, “These roles are completely different from each other. The characters are written to suit the story. Just because I have played a villain in a certain way in one film doesn’t mean that I am going to play it the same way in the other. It’s my job as an actor to make each role different. Whether I play the hero or the anti-hero, I should do justice to my character. After 40 years in the industry, I am still hungry for good work and interesting roles.”

Over the years, Bollywood has seen many iconic villains. Talking about the evolution of villainous characters on screen, Dutt says, “The villains in Hindi cinema are iconic. Gabbar Singh and Mogambo have become legendary pop-culture figures. During a certain phase, villains had almost disappeared from Hindi cinema, but I feel larger-than-life films are making a comeback, and the villains will be back in a bigger and better avatar.”

So, does he think characters with a dark streak are more layered and challenging now? “Even in the past villainous characters have always had layers. Sometimes we just choose to look at it in a one-dimensional way,” he signs off.