He is counted among one of the most formidable performers in Hindi film industry today but actor Kay Kay Menon is wary of being pigeonholed as a serious actor.
Menon, 45, who starred in critically acclaimed films like Hazaaron Khwaishein Aisi, Black Friday, Sarkar, Corporate and Gulal, says his attempt is always to portray wholesome characters in cinema.
"People often accuse me of being serious. Have I played serious roles in Honeymoon Travels and Sankat City? It is just that after the films were made, producers did not have money to bombard it all over the place.
"If something funny happens then it happens. My intention is not to break any mold. Intrinsically, every human being is either funny or serious. But, I try and portray a wholesome human being there," Menon told in an interview.
The 45-year-old actor will be seen next in medical drama, Ankur Arora Murder Case, where he will play the role of a senior surgeon.
The film, which hits theatres on June 14, highlights the issue of medical negligence in our country.
"It is an assimilation of many real life stories as there are many cases of medical negligence in our country. My character is of a top surgeon, who has saved many lives but he commits a mistake in an emergency service," he said.
Though he has no fascinating for playing grey characters, Menon says he enjoys being an actor as it gives him a chance to tap different emotions from within. "I don't exactly relate to grey characters. All the characters I play are within me otherwise it would be fake. Every human being has a plethora of emotions. As an actor, we are lucky to take them out and portray onscreen. But in normal life you can't do that. That is the charm of leading an actor's life," he said.
{{/usCountry}}Though he has no fascinating for playing grey characters, Menon says he enjoys being an actor as it gives him a chance to tap different emotions from within. "I don't exactly relate to grey characters. All the characters I play are within me otherwise it would be fake. Every human being has a plethora of emotions. As an actor, we are lucky to take them out and portray onscreen. But in normal life you can't do that. That is the charm of leading an actor's life," he said.
{{/usCountry}}Having started his career in showbiz as an advertising professional, his ticket to Bollywood was National-award winning film, Naseem, in 1995.
However, Menon was first noticed for his role as an idealist college leader in Sudhir Mishra directed Hazaaron Khwaishein Aisi and in Anurag Kashyap's Black Friday, where he played the character of DCP Rakesh Maria. ,
Despite his advertising background, Menon is disappointed by the marketing blitzkrieg behind Bollywood films as he believes the focus is more on the packaging than the content.
"90 per cent of Bollywood movies are not cinema as they are more concerned on packaging and marketing. Though I am not against it, I feel it should not intrude in the creative process of cinema. Essentially, cinema is a different form of storytelling."
"As long as you are true to your script and market the film then it is fine. But don't intrude in the process of filmmaking itself. Let marketing and cinema be different departments," he said.
Menon, who was last seen in ABCD: Any Body Can Dance, is also shooting for his first Tamil venture, Udhayam NH4, with veteran filmmaker Manimaran.
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