Baddie alert in Sandalwood!

An intense and riveting film, Shuddhi has been a much-talked about project over the past few days. The hard-hitting movie managed to wow audiences at the premiere. While everyone’s been talking about the protagonists, we bring to you the four faces who will ensure that you leave the theatre loathing them! Meet Ajay Raj, Sandeep Jain, Nagarjun Rajashekhar and Sanchari Vijay, who play the antagonists in the gripping movie.

Ajay, who plays Vinay Muthappa, says, “Adarsh (the director) and I go a long way back. He told me that he was making a women-centric film. After he narrated the script, there was silence for ten minutes! It was so powerful.” Having taken to acting when he was just five, Ajay is still recognised as Nanjunda from the TV serial Muktha. A zealous theatre actor, he’s now based in Chennai and has acted opposite Kamal Hassan in Uttama Villian. His upcoming releases include a Tamil film called Dhaayam and a bilingual flick.

For theatre actor Sandeep Jain, Shuddhi was doubly special as he also did the casting for the project. “I didn’t have any apprehensions in playing a baddie. I’ve played such roles in theatre before and being on stage has helped me,” he says, adding, “This was our attempt to show the reality of our country. I feel girls should speak up if they’ve been abused. Don’t take it, give it back to them!”

Born and brought in the ooru, Sandeep took to theatre when he was in PUC. He quit his corporate job in 2012 to pursue drama full-time. He teaches theatre for young adults and currently works at The Valley School. “I also go to Government schools connected to NGOs and teach kids of construction workers etc. As for movies, I’d do a role if I find it challenging enough. I can’t do commercial massy roles,” he adds.

Actor Sanchari Vijay is another theatre actor who plays one of the villains in the film. The National-award winning artiste says, “I shot for Shuddhi much before I did Naanu Avanalla..Avalu (the film for which he won the award). It was a great experience to work with this team which has brilliant technicians. Every character has visibility in the movie.” The versatile performer has three releases lined up and one of them is Krishna Thulasi, in which he plays a blind man.

The fourth baddie in Shuddhi is Nagarjun Rajashekhar who plays the menacing Pawan Rai. The enthusiastic debutant says, “A lot of freedom was given to the actors and that was nice. I started off my career by acting in a play where I learnt the aesthetics and dynamics of acting. Later, I played the lead in a TV serial called Kanaka.” The passionate artiste, who is fascinated by storytelling, is also an aspiring filmmaker and an ardent fan of world cinema. “I want to explore all genres. But it has to be driven by good content,” he says.