It is a conscious decision: Neil Nitin Mukesh on playing grey roles

Mumbai: Actor Neil Nitin Mukesh says he made a "conscious decision" to take on grey roles right from his 2007 debut with Sriram Raghavan's Johnny Gaddaar.

His latest film Hisaab Barabar, which is streaming on ZEE5, is another addition to his filmography populated by anti-hero roles in movies, including Players, 7 Khoon Maaf, Prem Ratan Dhan Payo, Wazir, Kaththi (Tamil), and Kavacham.

Hisaab Barabar features R Madhavan in the role of Radhe Mohan Sharma, a railway ticket checker who uncovers a small discrepancy in his bank account. It soon leads to a dangerous journey filled with fraud, deceit and corruption. Neil portrays Mickey Mehta, a ruthless banker in the movie.

“I love playing such (grey) roles. This is a conscious decision from the very beginning of my career. As an actor, you have to be aware of your strengths, weaknesses, what your audience expects of you and what you want to do, and also be reminded that it's not easy because every shade of grey is different, every character is very different. Every shade and character will have its own trait,” Neil told PTI in an interview.

Citing the example of Hollywood stars Jack Nicholson and Heath Ledger, the actor said it's great to see top actors playing antagonists.

“Today, your heroes only want to play dark roles,” he added.

Even then, Neil wants to maintain a balance between "good and bad roles".

"I like that range. I try to get some kind of human element into my shade of grey like some guys are bad, and some have a human side to them. With this character of Mickey Mehta, I’ve tried to imbibe a certain human element into him.” The actor said he was initially sceptical about boarding the cast of Hisaab Barabar as the plot appeared similar to his Tamil film Kaththi. Fronted by Vijay, the 2014 movie also had a "common man versus system" kind of commentary.

“I was like, ‘Should I be doing something similar?’ What happens is that subconsciously there are similar traits. But when I heard the story, I felt there was yet another flavour that I could offer. My character is not just a bad guy, who's doing bad things, he is somebody who believes what he's doing is right. He is all doing it with conviction and it has been presented in a comedic way,” Neil added.

Also featuring Kirti Kulhari and Rashami Desai, Hisaab Barabar is described as “a gripping narrative of financial fraud, corruption and the relentless pursuit of justice”.

“It has a very strong message that needs to reach a certain audience, and also tries to make them aware of a certain situation that might happen. It is being told in a very comical way, in a satirist way, and it layered the film beautifully,” the actor said.

Hisaab Barabar is directed by Ashwni Dhir, known for One Two Three, Atithi Tum Kab Jaoge? and Son of Sardaar. Produced by Jio Studios and SP Cinecorp, the film has been released in Hindi, Tamil and Telugu.