Took me a while to shed Omerta character

MUMBAI: Actor Rajkummar Rao says it took him some time to come out of the character of British-born Pakistani terrorist Omar Saeed Sheikh he plays in Omerta.

The 33-year-old actor, who stars as one of the most dreaded terrorists in the upcoming film directed by Hansal Mehta, said it was his first attempt at playing “an anti-hero” and it was an “exhausting” experience for him.

“My first as an anti-hero and exhausting as an actor. To feel the hate towards another human-being without any remorse can take quite a toll. It took me a while to shed this character,” Rajkummar said in a press release.

The second poster of the film was revealed today, in which the actor can be seen being taken away in a police van. The intense drama is based on the life of Sheikh, who was freed in exchange for passengers of a hijacked Indian Airlines plane in 1999 and was later accused of killing journalist Daniel Pearl.

Rajkummar reunites with frequent collaborator, Mehta, with whom he has worked in films such as Shahid, Aligarh and Citylights.

After getting rave reviews at the Toronto International Film Festival, the Busan International Film Festival and MAMI, Omerta also garnered a positive response at the Hong Kong International Film Festival. Produced by Nahid Khan, “Omerta” releases on April 20.