'I know the kind of stuff kids like'

Gulshan Grover, a regular fixture in Bollywood potboilers, has been playing the bad man on screen for more than 20 years. Now, after featuring in some international productions, the actor tries to essay an unusual villain in Soumitra Ranade's Jajantaram Mamantaram.

He speaks to Deepa Gumaste about the excitement of portraying Chattan Singh, a character that is distinctly different from his usual filmi roles.

I was working for the iDreams Productions film, Mani Shankar's 16 December, when they approached me for this film. I liked the story idea. I also liked the fact that the film was made with children in mind. In the past, I have acted in action films, social and family dramas, but I have never done a children's film.

When I read the script, interacted with [director] Soumitra Ranade, and understood that the story is targeted at children, I decided to do it like a cartoon character. Normally, I am very averse to situations where the villain is made fun of. But here, I wanted to do things that would amuse kids. Having worked in Columbia Tristar's The Second Jungle Book, I knew the kind of stuff kids like. So I tried to bring in a lot of elements in my acting that I thought they would relate to.

I have worked in SFX-heavy films where one had to shoot against a blue matte backdrop. We also had to shoot a lot of special effects for iDreams' 16 December where Danny Dangzongpa and I were shown in the present time and 20 years earlier.

Jajantaram Mamantaram has fantastic special effects. The important thing is that they have not been thrown in for the sake of it. The effects were required because of the story.

The best thing I liked about Soumitra was that he was very straightforward, clear, honest, and humble. For example, if he was doing something for the first time, he would admit it. He would say he's handling a certain scene for the first time or that he is working with a lot of people for a crowd scene for the first time.

At the same time, he was very clear what he wanted. It was his idea not to have complicated, multi-layered acting. If a character is cunning, he should look cunning; if he is scared, he should look scared. He did not want to take shots which may be technically brilliant, but could confuse the kids. We tried to keep it simple, yet interesting. And it is very tough being simple and interesting at the same time.

I have not seen the entire film -- just bits and pieces and the promos. But I have seen my portions while dubbing. Also, I have been told by my colleagues and friends who have seen the film that it is very good. I have an intuition that it will be a success.