Bad man turns a new leaf

Actor Abhimanyu Singh, who played villain Bukka Reddy in Rakht Charitra, to do positive roles next.

Success has come after 10 long years in the film industry for Abhimanyu Singh. But ironically it came in the form of a villainous role for the actor who came to Bollywood to become a “hero”. However, after playing Bukka Reddy in Ram Gopal Varma’s Rakht Charitra, Singh has been signed for three positive roles — Chandraprakash Dwivedi’s Aasi Ghat, which is based on a novel, Sudipto Chattopadhyay’s Andar Bahar Pani and RGV’s Amma.

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Singh says he owes this turnaround of his career to RGV. “I got critical acclaim for Anurag Kashyap’s Gulaal, but Ramuji has presented me like no one else has. In Rakht Charitra, I had equal screen space to that of the lead. Fifty per cent of the film was on my shoulders and Ramuji trusted me with it. Today people are taking notice of my acting, all thanks to him,” says Singh.

RGV’s Amma, which is set to be a 3D film, will see Singh playing a treasure hunter in search of a hidden booty beneath the temple of Goddess Kali. “The film is something like Mackenna’s Gold (1969) and will be shot in three languages. It will also have international actors,” says Singh. In Aasi Ghat, which is based in Benaras, Singh plays a smart tourist guide always looking to make a quick buck. “A lot of foreigners come there to learn Indian dance forms particularly Bharatnatyam. They mix with the locals, get married. The film talks about mixing of cultures, changing the morality and ethics of the place,” says Singh. He adds, “Onir’s I AM will also release soon. I play a police inspector in this film who harasses a gay couple when they are caught making out in a car,” says Singh.