Ashutosh Rana has certainly essayed some memorable roles on screen. Right from playing an antagonist in movies like ‘Jaanwar’ and ‘Awarapan’ to playing a doting dad to Kavya in ‘Humpty Sharma Ki Dulhania’.
Nevertheless, when you think of the 54-year-old actor, it is initially his ultra-villainous role playing Lajja Shankar Pandey in ‘Sangharsh’ that jumps to mind. The veteran actor reveals he is quite fond of playing complex characters as they help him become a better version of himself.
IE reports him saying, “There is a sort of an edge and energy in negative characters. If this energy goes up, a person becomes a saint, and if it comes down, a person becomes a devil. When you play a negative role, you get a chance to understand these energies,” he clarifies.
“So, while playing these negative roles, Ashutosh Rana is making himself a better human being and is getting to know himself better. For me, acting is just not a profession, it is also a way to salvation,” the actor explains.
Rana goes on to elaborate that a character with grey shades is more relatable and leaves more of an impact on the audience. “The villainous characters have several ups and downs but a hero’s character is a plateau. This is why these days, a hero’s character also has grey shades because the audience never remembers a character which has been a plateau.
“You will remember the character of Amitabh Bachchan in Deewar who was playing on a grey shade or Sanjay Dutt of Vaastav or Jai and Veeru of Sholay. Out-and-out black or white characters do not leave any impact. Negative characters have diversity. They have a hunger in them to justify their existence,” he elucidates.
Do you agree that negative characters bring more diversity to cinema? Tell us!
