Yashwanth loves to play the bad guy

Yashwanth Shetty has played the bad guy on screen multiple times. But what will set apart his acting in the soon-to-be-released movie ‘Atharva’ is his rugged look and his raw acting. In a candid chat with Tini Sara Anien, he shares his excitement about the role.

What about your character makes it stand apart?

My character Maari Mahadeva was a tough person to portray. He is arrogant, aggressive and bossy to all the people who work under him. This character is nothing like any of the other grey shades I have played.

Compared to your other roles, what is different about Maari?

I have very powerful and really loud dialogues in the film. Maari has a rugged look and I also sport a longer hairstyle with coloured strands to add to the character. My costumes were also carefully selected by director Arun Yadav, who knew exactly how he wanted the character to shape out.

What made you select this role?

The director had seen my performance in ‘Jwalantham’ and was impressed. He said that he had kept my profile in his mind and was convinced that I could do justice to the role. I was impressed with his confidence and wanted to try different roles, so I took it up.

Tell us about your fancy for grey characters...

I am a cool and gentle person in reality. But to be a good actor one has to try different things and keep challenging oneself. After all, what is the excitement of playing a happy person like myself on screen. There would be nothing new for people to see then.

Tell us about some really challenging scenes in ‘Atharva’.

In the climax, I kidnap the heroine and there are some intense scenes where I shout at her. I express all my frustration with really loud and long dialogues and it took a lot out of me. The scenes really drained me out. The lines were almost one-page long and I had to say it in one breath.

A Bollywood or Hollywood villain you want to portray?

Joker, no doubts about that.

What else is in the pipeline?

After playing the bag guy in a series of films, I will be seen a different avatar in ‘Soojidhara’. I play the protagonist in the film, someone who is going through an identity crisis. After playing negative roles, this was a different experience and a welcome change.