Thakur Anoop Singh who holds titles like Mr. India, Mr. Asia and Mr. World, and shot to fame playing Dhritharashtra in the Mahabharata series is essaying the powerful antagonist in Suriya’s Singam III. DC caught up with Anoop, who is in Chennai, as he talks about his Tollywood entry with a Puri Jagannadh film, on Suriya, Hari, his stylish role in SIII, how he learnt Tamil and much more.
“Though I was a trained pilot from New York at the age of 19, when I came back to India, there was a huge recession in the airline industry and I could not pursue that career line. I didn’t want to sit idle at home and hence shifted interest towards acting. I was getting offers from television even before I went for my pilot training though,” Anoop starts his conversation.
Despite having a stint in modeling and facing the arc lights, getting into the TV world was not an easy proposition for Anoop. “I didn’t have any training in acting, but I never felt shy in front of the camera as I had modelled for many brands. But I was rejected at almost 129 auditions! I did get offers to play the lead in some series’, but they were jinxed. Later, Mahabharata happened... but it was a long journey. Though everything started briskly, it was stopped midway — and after one and half years, the shooting commenced. Again, there were some issues and the shoot stalled! It finally came on air after one year. All said and done, it was a huge success and my role of Dhritharashtra was critically acclaimed. Thereafter, there was no looking back,” he says with a smile.
He adds, “I had put on a lot of weight for my mythological character by then and needed to shed a few kilos. I was also into theatre, and was applauded many times for my performances. Then, one of my pictures from Mr. World went viral and I got my first break with a Bollywood flick Commander II — in which I play a negative role. The movie is set to release soon.”
So, how did SIII happen? “T’town’s ace filmmaker Puri Jagganadh signed me for a film Rogue which was a bilingual in Telugu and Kananda, where my character is an interesting one. Yet again, the movie got delayed. Producer Gnanavel Raja saw me during one of his visits to Hyderabad and Puri recommended me to him. Hari sir came to Mumbai and he too liked my look. Soon, I was onboard.”
On his role in SIII, he quips, “I wont call my character in the film an antagonist. It’s more of a stylish, aristocratic guy called Vittal Prasad, an NRI who is half-Tamilian and half-Australian, with shades of gray. I am happy that my role is as powerful as that of Suriya sir’s!” (smiles)
Heaping laurels on Suriya, he says, “He was very humble and down-to-earth. When I first met him, I had a bit of apprehension about how we would get along. Much to my surprise, he said, ‘Hey, I have read a lot about you’ and made me feel really comfortable on-set. He is a very supportive co-star. We used to dine together during the break and would discuss a lot of things. He would give me many valuable suggestions.”
On director Hari — “Hari’s speed while shooting is known to everyone. His knowledge about the nuances of each and everything amazed me. His command over his team and th way he extracts the best from everyone is terrific. Suriya sir and I were always in-sync with his vision.”
How was it working in a alien language though? “I am the kind of person who always wants to learn the language I am working in. That way, I really worked hard and learnt Tamil — and even dubbed my own voice for SIII. I spent 13 hours at a Chennai Studio for my dubbing... hope it pays off!”
