You need an ominous villain to offset the larger-than-life heroics of Salman Khan. Enter Randeep Hooda as the drug kingpin to Khan’s cop in Radhe: Your Most Wanted Bhai. The actor, who relishes playing dark characters, says his part in the Prabhudheva-directed venture stood out for its moral bankruptcy. “I have played many negative characters with moral ambiguity. However, in Radhe, this guy is black inside out,” begins Hooda. “It’s liberating to play negative roles. I have turned down films where the character is [similar to] me. It’s exciting to be other people, and cinema gives you the means to do things that you won’t do in real life.”

The actioner, which simultaneously releases in theatres and on ZeePlex today, marks his third collaboration with Khan after Kick (2014) and Sultan (2016). “It’s fun to work with Salman because he is easy-going. We share an off-screen camaraderie that makes it easier in front of the camera.”