Bollywood actor actor Neil Nitin Mukesh, who is playing the antagonist in upcoming Tamil actioner “Kaththi”, says he’s gone back to the days of “Johnny Gaddar” to design the look of his role in the film. He says audiences will get to see a “leaner and sharper” Neil in the film.
He said in an interview: I’m simultaneously shooting for two films – ‘Kaththi’ and the Salman Khan-starrer with Sooraj Barjatya. I’ve designed my looks in such a way that I could easily blend into both the characters. For ‘Kaththi’, I’ve gone back to the days of ‘Johnny Gaddar’, which is an inspiration for my look in the film. I shed about 10 and a half kg for ‘Kaththi’, reduced about 4 and a half inches in the waist. I wanted the puffiness of the face to go down, so that I could look leaner and sharper,” he added.
In the film, which is being directed by A.R Murugadoss, Neil assures he doesn’t play an “atypical villain”. It’s not a typical villain role you see in the south. I play an extremely polished character, a north Indian who speaks Tamil, well read and foreign-returned. As a villain, I don’t fight the hero with physical power, but with intelligence,” he said. I think these qualities make my role scarier because it’s not easy to tackle someone who is villainous and intelligent at the same time. These layers of shade attracted me to the role.
“Kaththi”, which is slated for Diwali release, also features Samantha Ruth Prabhu and Tota Roy Chaudhary in important roles.
