Veteran actor Ranjeet, whose real name is Gopal Bedi, has essayed several memorable negative roles. Besides acting in over 200 Hindi movies, he has also done a television serial “Aisa Des Hai Mera” and Punjabi films too.
The iconic anti-hero shot to fame after playing a negative role in the film “Sharmeelee”. Ranjeet had gone to Mumbai with a friend to play the lead role in “Zindagi Ki Rahen”, a film which was unfortunately shelved. Ironically the actor is opposite of what he plays on the screen being a vegetarian, non-smoker and teetotaller. He is of the opinion that his rise, as one of the most remembered villains, was completely incidental.
In an interview with Friday Review, Ranjeet talks about his journey as an actor, change in villainy over the times and his latest film.
Excerpts from the interview:
Did you ever expect your character in “Sharmeelee” to have such an impact that you would receive similar roles in many other films?
I was recommended for the role in “Sharmeelee” by Sunil Dutt who admired my performance in “Sawan Bhadon” and “Reshma Aur Shera”. “Sharmeelee” was a movie I did at a time when my career base was just building and back then I never expected it to become such a rage. It went on to become such a hit that nearly every director that time approached to me to cast me in the same role and I never refused as I was happy to do as much work as possible.
How was it to watch your performance as a villain with your family and friends?
Watching my performance as a scheming villain with my family and friends was alright. The difficulty arose in watching the vulgar scenes in which I had to assault the leading lady, with my family sitting next to me. I remember that when my mother first saw my negative performance she was really enraged believing that it had actually happened.
Do you ever feel you should have tried other roles apart from that of a villain?
I have a problem in saying “no” to someone. I accept nearly every role I am offered, this is why I have done so many negative roles. I was constantly being approached to play the anti-hero on the screen and I continued with it. Also, I gave equal importance to my audience as I did to my career and thus did the roles in which my audience wanted to see me. Besides, acting is acting.
How far do you think the villains have evolved since the ‘70s and ‘80s, especially with the portrayal of villains as protagonists in movies like “Ek Villain” and “Dhoom” series?
In the ‘70s and ‘80s, there was a definite set of roles in a film. There would be a hero, a heroine and a villain. These days the hero himself has negative traits in him and there is little space left for a villain in a movie. The audience used to enjoy the entry of the villain, his plotting and scheming and ultimately the victory of the hero over the villain but now the audience is left devoid of that. It has also put actors like myself devoid of substantial work.
Tell us about your role in “Spark”. What made you to play that character?
I play the protagonist’s father. What attracted me to the role was the relationship dynamics between the father and son. The character is soft and humble and is more of a friend to his son rather than a figure of authority. His character initially seems dark but later on the audience will realize that he does whatever he does only to protect his son from enemies.
