‘Heroes want to play the bad guy now’

Actor Prem Chopra (above) carved out a niche of his own when he played the most suave villain on screen during the 70’s and 80’s. Nowadays, with lead actors trying to play negative roles, Chopra feels that it’s because everyone wants to improve in totality and showcase their flexibility. The 81-year-old says, “These young, talented actors are fascinated by negative characters because antagonists are difficult to portray. Plus they can prove their versatility.”

Chopra, who played the villain in Bobby (1973), had just one dialogue in the film. He remembers, “Since I was already an established star, I didn’t need to prove my self. Whenever I came on screen, people knew that he’s here to create a problem.” Drawing a comparison between films made then and now, he says, “In our times, there were three major characters in a film — a hero, a heroine and a villain; and the film was woven around them. But now, when the hero is playing a villainous role, the writers need to explain why he played the bad guy.”

When asked about the looks that villains flaunt, which is quite unlike the ‘bad guy’ image that audiences loved watching in the past, Chopra feels viewers have become open in their choices. “Earlier, there used to be no other medium of entertainment than cinema. Now we have TV, video, which keep the audiences occupied. So people have started accepting heroes playing a villain, if they perform well.” The actor agrees that iconic dialogues are a rarity now. “We need a bunch of good writers. People pick up scenes from Hollywood films and impose them in Hindi. So, the originality is lost.” ■ monika.rawal@htlive.com

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