Being the bad guy on screen

Actor Yashwanth Shetty is remembered for his outstanding performance in 'Jwalantham'. He believes that his character there opened the doors to more challenging roles. Yashwanth, who goes by the character name of Maanja in Guru Deshpande's 'Samhaara', says that he couldn't have asked for a better role.

The actor says that he thoroughly enjoyed being someone that he is not. "At the core, Maanja is a soft-hearted guy but how and why he takes on a cunning avatar forms the crux of the story. The circumstances that led to the change is interesting because the character is realistic with nothing pretentious about him," explains Yashwanth. He states that his body language and mannerism convey a lot of emotions.

"Why a simple man turns a traitor and how is able to sustain the change will offer some interesting moments for the audience to cherish," he adds. The actor says that he has enjoyed playing negative characters.

"After the hero, heroine and comedians in any film, the actor who plays negative roles garner the most eyeballs. A hero usually gets to do only a limited number of films in a year but the actor who plays the villain gets to work on more films. Also, people are easily drawn to negativity. I have always felt one with all my characters and every role has helped me discover a new facet of my personality," adds Yashwanth.

The actor believes that his strong background in theatre and experience on the stage has helped him understand and emote his characters well.

"As theatre atriste, you are taught to work on your expression and character till it is perfect. This in-depth understanding during my theatre days helped me grasp my characters for the big screen pretty well," reasons Yashwanth. The actor will soon be seen essaying the lead role in 'Soojidhara'.