Soaring to new heights

Working hard

Though he portrayed a villain’s role in both, Dev tells Metrolife that playing the bad guy has more glamour attached to it than playing a hero.

Now this talented actor has his eyes set on Kannada film industry, where he will soon make his debut in MD Sreedhar’s Sagar.

“It is the script and the role that drove me to sign on this film,” he says while adding, “Though this may not be a high budget film like Magadheera or Sura, what I really like is the fact that the director had a vision for my character and that really makes my job easier. As an actor, I’m very greedy when it comes to my roles. As long as my role has a distinct character where I can show my talent, I’m game for any film.”

Playing the bad guy once again, Dev says that through Sagar, the audience will see him more as an anti-hero than a villain.

“I can’t really dwell too much into it. All I can say is that I have worked really hard to make the Kannada audience accept me,” says Dev, who has even learnt to speak and read Kannada for the film.

Magadheera is one film which Dev considers as the turning point of his career. “I still remember during the premier of Magadheera, I was behind my director while entering the hall and the cameras stopped clicking minute they saw me. But soon after the first show, everyone one was looking for ‘Dev’,” he recollects.

Though Dev is from Pune, he is comfortable in South India. He also observes that of late, many bigwigs in Bollywood actually spend their weekends catching the latest Telugu and Tamil films to buy the rights and remake it in Hindi.

“South Indian cinema is always coming out with fresh and new stories but I feel it has more to do with the kind technicians that are out here. A lot of my friends in Bollywood keep asking me as to which film is doing well in the South,” he laughs. But Dev soon plans to also make his debut in Bollywood as well.

“If things work out, I will be shooting for a film with Ajay Devgan and Sanjay Dutt. But that doesn’t mean I will stop shooting South Indian films. I will soon be shooting for Ram Charan Tej’s next film,” he signs off.