Suniel Shetty justifies antagonist Raghavan from Main Hoon Na

Actor Suniel Shetty is known for playing a lot of negative roles during his tenure, and one of these characters is Raghavan from `Main Hoon Na`.  However, Shetty does not consider Ragahvan to be a negative character as he was fighting for his country, and the love of his deceased child.

Suniel Shetty justifies Raghavan

Speaking during the trailer launch of his next `Kesari Veer`, Shetty stated that Raghavan can never be a villain. “For me, there is nothing more important than my country, and I am not just saying it. In sports or anywhere else when it comes to my nation, then I think I am a different human being altogether. According to the script, Raghav was a negative character but when I heard the script it took me just two minutes to say yes to the film.”

He revealed what director Farah Khan told him while narrating “Main Hoon Na” to him, “I still remember Farah (Khan) telling me that a lot of people are scared to do this negative role, to which I said how can this be a negative role – Our enemy will always be the same, my child has been killed and I just want to bring back the mortal remains of my kid and they are not willing to do so. So, from which angle is this character negative.”

Shetty further recalled how his character Dev from `Dhadkan` also met the same fate.

“My character as Dev in `Dhadkan` was also labeled as negative but when a man loves his girlfriend to that extent, how can he be negative?

So, I always look at my characters that way,” he said.

Suniel Shetty about Kesari Veer

The upcoming film Kesari Veer sees him step into the role of Vegdaji Bhil, the 14th century king. The period drama offers a retelling of how Vegdaji joined forces with Veer Hamirji Gohil, the king of Arthila in Saurashtra, to protect the Somnath Temple from the Tughlaq dynasty’s attack.

To portray a brave warrior, Shetty had to learn the use of weaponry, especially a heavy double-edged axe. “I had to bulk up and train hard as the weapon itself weighed 15 kilos. I had to fight with a hammer-like axe. I had to get used to that weight and balance myself,” he told Mid-day earlier this year. 

But understanding the character’s emotional make-up was a bigger task. Shetty says he channelled his paternal instinct to become Vegdaji for the screen. He explains, “It’s a powerful role yet an emotional one. Vegda couldn’t give his daughter anything. But when Hamir [his son-in-law] went to war, Vegda promised his daughter that he’d give his life to save her husband. I connected emotionally to this film because I have a daughter too, and I would do anything for Athiya.” 

(with inputs from IANS)