You don’t mess with Gulshan Grover

Iconic bad guy of B-Town thinks weak actors are afraid of being typecast

MUMBAI: Typecast as a villain, actor Gulshan Grover earned the name “Bad Man” for numerous villainous roles in the 1980s and 1990s but was never worried about being typecast as he was courageous, unlike other “weak actors”.

“People are frightened to be typecast. I, in fact created the typecast. It is the weaker actors who are scared of being typecast. If you’re a good actor, strong and hardworking while also being gutsy and courageous, then nothing can stop you when the time is right. And I’ve proven it,” Gulshan told media at the music launch of his upcoming film Chehre which also stars Jackie Shroff, Manisha Koirala, Divya Dutta, Aarya Babbar among others. The film is directed by Rohit Kaushik.

The “Bad Man” tag was a conscious effort for Gulshan. “I came to act in movies after having done my formal training alongside Anil Kapoor, Mazhar Khan and others. I deciphered and analysed the film business, and how can you be a big brand. And I understood that you must have a recall value, and a recognition value.

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“So I created this ‘Bad Man’, ‘villain’ persona myself and I worked very hard for it. And I knew when the time is right, I will be able to break it with no difficulty at all because I’m hardworking, talented and I’m gutsy and courageous.”

Proving his case, Gulshan has successfully changed tracks playing positive roles in films such as I Am Kalam which were widely appreciated. 

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Published in The Express Tribune, August 3^rd,  2015.

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