Dino Morea: Gave my character a madness of his own

Dino Morea in The Empire

"Finally, it feels like good days are here," begins Dino Morea, who considers The Empire a new lease of life that he has been awaiting for a decade. The actor plays Shaybani Khan, the nemesis to Kunal Kapoor's Babur, in the Disney+ Hotstar offering. Morea, who likens the character to a ferocious panther, says he prepped hard to slip into the part, giving him kohl-lined eyes and a ruthless air. "Shaybani has animalistic traits. He is cunning and agile. When I read the episodes, I knew it was an opportunity of a lifetime. I worked extensively to imbibe the stealthiness of the part. He is a guy whose next move can't be predicted; I gave him a madness of his own," he says.

The character's fierceness has reminded many of Ranveer Singh's portrayal of Alauddin Khilji in Padmaavat (2018). "At least I am compared to the very best. Ranveer pulled off that character with such finesse. The comparison is a compliment," laughs Morea.

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Dino Morea

After foraying into films with Pyaar Mein Kabhi Kabhi (1999), the actor was typecast as the chocolate boy and featured in several forgettable movies. He hopes The Empire will be the beginning of a new innings. "There have been far too many disillusioning years where I kept saying no to everything coming my way. The wait can make you insecure. People around would keep saying that out of sight is out of mind in this industry. I could've been disillusioned, but I decided to stay afloat."

In his bid to find content that he believes in, Morea turned producer. His second production Helmet will drop on ZEE5 next week. The actor-producer is flush with optimism as he says, "Tandav and Mentalhood were the warm-up for this big break in The Empire. There is a sense of maturity that has come to my acting. I have worked on myself and am picking my roles with caution. I love the compliments on my looks, but I refuse to just be an eye candy. The constant endeavour is to deliver performances that prove my mettle as an actor."

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