Making bad guys look good

Kochi: It is an indisputable fact that it is the villain who makes a hero look good on screen. Most of the actors who play villains find that their reel life image spills into their real life, with audiences keeping them at arm’s length. Such is not the case for Dev Singh Gill.

This good-looking actor has a huge fan following, especially among the female population, and is still surprised that he is recognised by all.

The actor, who has worked across the southern film industries and Bollywood, made his debut in Mollywood through Mr Fraud as the villain. Dev asserts that his experience of working in Malayalam can be described in one single word — Mohanlal!

Explaining it, he says, “When I started shooting, I was a bit skeptical about working with a legend but by the end of the schedule, Mohanlal had made a new man out of me! I have worked with superstars before but he is the most well-mannered and rooted person I have ever seen. He is a star who knows to respect his co-artistes even when he doesn’t have to bother about them and there is so much positivity in him that I feel blessed to be working with him!”

Most well-known for his villain role in Magadheera, Dev is lucky to have shared screen space with most of the A-listers. He has currently been signed to play a role in the Rajinikanth-starrer Lingaa, a period drama.

Talking about being perennially cast as the villain, Dev opines, “Working with stars does not excite me! Ultimately, I have to be a notch above the hero to leave a mark. I have seen success, which I rate second to the value of human relationships. I neither have a godfather nor am I a star son so I have made sure that I worked  hard to reach where I am today!  I try to make the worst look good on screen and I am also particular that my audience appreciates my work.”

Appreciation is something Dev found in plenty while he was shooting in Kerala. To Dev’s utter surprise, he found fans waiting patiently to click pictures with him and he revelled in the warmth. He quips, “It gave me a high.”

His phone has not stopped ringing ever since the release of Mr Fraud with callers complimenting him for imparting a different aura to the antagonist. He signs off, “Good or bad, I take it all positively and in my stride!”