'I can reinvent myself'

Bad Boy

After playing a kind-hearted boy in the Oscar-winning movie Slumdog Millionaire, India-born actor Dev Patel wants to “reinvent” himself by doing negative roles.

The young actor was recently seen as Prince Zuko in M Night Shyamalan’s The Last Airbender, which released in the US last week and in India.

“I got offered a lot of things after Slumdog Millionaire, but this really stood out, because it was a villain’s role. I wanted to go as far as possible in the other direction. I think I can reinvent myself here,” Patel said.

The young actor first received fame in the British TV show Skins. He played the role of Anwar Kharral, a British Pakistani Muslim teenager. The first series of the show aired in January 2007 and won the Rose d’Or for Drama in 2008. It also received a nomination for Best Drama Series at the 2008 BAFTA Television Awards.