Vishwajeet Pradhan: Negative characters nowadays have become earthy

Actor Vishwajeet Pradhan, known for playing an antagonist in yesteryear films, on how the villain of Indian cinema has evolved. Also talks about how OTT has offered opportunities and forced the industry to break away from the typecasting mode.

He has spent over three decades in the film industry and is largely known for essaying negative roles. But actor Vishwajeet Pradhan says stepping into the shoes of an antagonist was not a deliberate move. “Feroz Khan (director) gave me a break as a villain in Yalgaar (1992) and people liked me in that avatar. So, it (playing the villain) went on. Playing an antagonist opens up the canvas for portrayal of a character, as compared to the goody-goody hero. The antagonist has more shades and spice. Also, the negative character teaches through its own example -- what not to do in life,” says the actor.

Vishwajeet Pradhan

Talking about the difference between a yesteryear antagonist and that of today, Pradhan adds, “Negative characters nowadays have become earthy or desi, more grounded in the ethos. Earlier, we had highly stylised Ajit (Khan) saab, Pran saab and KN Singh (actors known for playing negative parts). The later ones mostly followed in their footsteps. Now, we see negative characters that are more tangible -- writing wise and performance wise.”

Pradhan ventured into the OTT space with the web series, Aarya, and he’s in love with the medium. “OTT has been a life saver during the pandemic for those stuck at home. At the same time, the exposure to world entertainment has made the audience more mature and open to new ideas. With so much work, actors -- old and new -- have found opportunities. Our industry has been known for typecasting actors or repeating the same ones over and over,” says the actor, who’s glad that he received “a lot of love and appreciation for playing Sampat in Aarya”.

Pradhan goes on to talk about how the filmmakers of today are starkly different from those from the yesteryear: “The makers now are more disciplined. Big actors such as Akshay Kumar, Aamir Khan, Ajay Devgan, Shah Rukh Khan, etc. are all sticklers for time. This is a change in our industry that I love. Projects start and finish on time. Earlier, due to the lackadaisical attitude of some leading men, the films would drag for 3-4 years. I’m glad that an undisciplined lot of actors have been kicked out.”