Rahul Dev on getting typecast for villain roles in Bollywood

In a film career spanning over two decades actor Rahul Dev has gained recognition for his powerful and villainous portrayals in films The Mass actor recently reminisced about his Bollywood debut and how it set the stage for a series of negative roles in Hindi cinemaRahul made his debut with the film Champion in 2000 where he played the antagonist He went on to portray negative characters in several films including Champion Aashiq Awaara Paagal Deewana Mass and othersReflecting on his career Rahul admitted to attempting a shift by exploring opportunities in South Indian cinema to break free from the monotony of negative roles in BollywoodThe divide was very clear in 2000 Artists were not called actors but heroes and villains In acting school we are taught various methods but when I applied that knowledge practically it changed my perspective Rahul saidTalking about his big break and its impact he shared At that time if your first project like Champion is so successfulyou win awards and allit becomes significant Sunny Deol being a largerthanlife hero needed an equally strong antihero in the film right I didnt choose to confine myself to negative roles Its wiser to diversify or it becomes monotonous Thats why I tried going down South It was getting boring Boring ho jaa rha thaAfter delivering some of the most menacing performances as a villain in Hindi films Rahuls career has taken a fresh turn in recent years thanks to the variety of roles offered by OTT platformsHe has played prominent roles in web series such as The Test Case Whos Your Daddy Poison 2 LSD Hunter Tootega Nahi Todega Empire and AdhuraDiscussing the growing influence of OTT platforms in India the Footpath actor remarked that they have helped bridge the divide between South and North Indian filmsThe South and North divide has in a way closed Many people went to watch Pushpa 1 on the first day even though it was in Telugu and they didnt know the language The reception for films not in ones mother tongue has increased Audiences are now seeking betterquality content Rahul saidHe also cited the example of the recent rerelease of Tumbbad adding Tumbbad got rereleased and earned much better than during its first release which was preCovid This shows how much the audience has evolved in terms of cinema appreciationRahul Dev will next appear in the OTT film Zabt alongside actor Eijaz Khan The film will stream on Prasar Bharatis OTT channel Waves starting December 13The story revolves around Eijaz Khans character a smart and ambitious man who relocates to Mumbai To acquire a real estate property he borrows money from an underworld don but gets robbed The film further explores the mysteries of Eijazs past and his quest to recover the lost moneyThis story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed agencies Midday accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability trustworthiness reliability and data of the text Midday managementmiddaycom reserves the sole right to alter delete or remove without notice the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever