Villain in different shades

It has often been a trend for an actor who appears in a supporting role is typecast and is approached with the same kind of roles, and villains are no exceptions. Do similar roles offer a challenge to an actor? “It depends on the approach the actor has towards a role,” says Ravi Singh who has gained acceptance in Mollywood for his negative roles in Prithviraj starrer Tiyaan and Biju Menon starrer Padayottam. “If you get to be the bad man on screen, then show the different shades of grey in every movie. Make it difficult for the people to judge which character of yours was fiercer.”

It was a slow and steady transition for Mumbai based Ravi who started his career with theatre. “I started my career in 1994 as a production manager and then shifted to theatre,” says Ravi. “It was after doing four years of theatre that I started getting chances in TV serials. I also got a chance to work in a couple of Bollywood films like Department directed by Ram Gopal Verma.”  However, the actor soon started rejecting similar roles. “I was bored of playing same kind of villain in every film,” he says. “It was not helping the actor in me to grow. Playing an antagonist was a well- thought out decision as I understood that I had that look which persuaded the directors to approach me with such roles. I am happy for that but I cannot do same thing over and over again. Hence the decision. The number of roles I have rejected is more than the ones I have accepted.”

The actor was referred for Tiyaan by a crew member who happened to see his profile. Ravi was called for the movie and the actor sounded overjoyed. It was one of the best moments in his career and a turning point, too, he recalls. “I was very happy that the Malayalee audiences are very welcoming and give importance to the character irrespective of the fact that it is positive or negative. I was applauded by the Malayalee audience for my character in Tiyaan and I am obliged for the encouragement I have received. May be it is the reason why I could do justice to my character in Padayottam as well.” 

The actor giggles when he says that most of his followers in social media are Malayalees and that he received many friend requests from them after Tiyaan. “God knows, if everything goes well in terms of my career in Mollywood I might soon became a part of this industry and Kerala,” he observes. Ravi has also done a pivotal role in Dr. Biju’s Painting Life. The actor is in talks for movies in Kollywood and Bollywood in addition to Malayalam movies.