R Madhavan is very nervous about Shaitaan.
"I have never done anything like this before," he tells Subhash K Jha. "This creature that I play is so evil, he is way beyond my comprehension of wickedness."
Madhavan has not seen the film yet.
"When I saw myself during the dubbing, I was scared. Is that really me? The fun part of my job is that I get do things I can never imagine doing in real life," he says.
Madhavan, who was seen last year in the bio-pic Rocketry: The Nambi Effect that he directed, feels his new diabolic act may shock his fans.
"They would never expect me to play something so nasty. I've always played sweet-natured guys, positive characters. This is my first deep-dive into evil, and it scared the hell out of me."
Madhavan gives full marks to Ajay Devgn for seeing him in such an avatar.
"Ajay is a producer in Shaitaan. He could have easily cast himself in the antagonist's role. Instead, he picked me. When we started shooting, the film had no title. As the shooting progressed, Ajay insisted that the film be titled after my character. I have seldom worked with a more secure and generous co-actor," he says.
Madhavan says his son Vedant is keen on watching Shaitaan.
"I agreed on one condition: He will have to watch my film Rehna Hai Terre Dil Mein three times to get all the toxicity out of his system."
In Shaitaan, Ajay Devgn and Jyotika play a couple whose daughter is possessed by an evil spirit, played by Madhavan.
"Frankly, we are all nervous about Shaitaan. This is the first time a bonafide horror film is being done on this level," Madhavan feels.
"We have given the genre a new classy look and feel. Let's see how it is welcomed. My character is the bin bulaye mehmaan, but with a twist. He is a twisted beast."
