Govind Namdev | The actor, who recently received the Dadasaheb Phalke Film Foundation Award and was last seen in Main Zaroor Aaunga, will now be seen in Jhalki. He speaks with Shalini Saksena about what he does when he isn’t shooting and his upcoming films

You recently won the Dadasaheb Phalke Film Foundation Award. What was it for?

I received the award three months back for the Best Versatile actor, this is a foundation award that the producers’ association gives. This Award is different from the award the Government gives. Two films released one was Main Zaroor Aaunga and the other is Jhalki which is slated to release on November 14.

What is your role in Jhalki?

The film is about child labour. There is a character in the movie who goes from village to village convincing parents that instead of letting their kids roam free and play, it is better to send them to the city where they will find work. To lure them, he gives them money or gifts like radio or pressure cooker. Just so that the parents don’t ask too many questions, he keeps giving them money from time to time. In the city, the kids are forced to work as bonded labourers. Each time, this person visits, the parents wants to send another child. I play this role.

Main Zaroor Aaunga was a horror. How was working on the project?

I would not say that it was totally horror, it was just a part of the storyline. It was a murder mystery with an element of romance, thrill and horror. The entire film was shot in Switzerland, this is probably the first time that an entire movie was shot here and that too in the dead of winter with snow all around. It was terrible. We had to shoot in minus 15-19 degrees. I played the detective here.

The two roles are totally different. Is it a conscious decision to do such varied roles?

Actually, there are two more films that are in the pipeline to be released where my roles are different. One is Junction Varanasi. I play the role of an emotional father, a doctor who leaves the city life and settles down in a village and treats the villagers for free in the hope that his mentally challenged child may have a better life with the blessings of the locals. Zarina Wahab plays my wife. The second is a highly negative role in the movie Police Officer Arjun Singh IPS. I play the Chief Minister and it is set in UP.

You have played a negative role in most movies. Have you been typecast?

It is by choice that I took up such roles. When I came to Mumbai, I quickly realised that our films have three main characters — hero, heroine and villain. I knew if I wanted to be in the front row, I needed to take on the role of the villain as I could not play the hero or the heroine. So villain I became. But the good is that all the negative roles that I have done, each has been different. In Bandit Queen it was Thakur Shriram Singh, in Prem Granth it was that of Roop Sahai, a very bad  character. I also did a Hollywood film, The Gandhi Murder, in which I play Morarji Desai. I have played such varied roles, it is an honour.

Did passing out from NSD help you in hone your skills?

The National School Drama has  helped me to fine tune my skills. I was taught how to play each character differently. Even in real life, there are no two similar people, so why in reel life should each role be the same?

You have done TV show. Why venture into the small screen?

There was a time when I had no work. After the success of Shola Aur Shabnam, I got so many offers to play the inspector. But my fellow reel police officer in the film, Mahavir Shah (he is no more). He told me that this was his 25th role as an inspector. I was shocked and decided to not play an inspector. I started rejecting roles and producers then stopped giving me work. I did theatre. Then I was approached for a main character in the show Parivartan. I had promised myself that I would do only films but I knew that if I had to prove my versatility I needed to take up the project. People loved the character and my work. I broke the typecast and started getting different roles in the films and continue to do so.

What do you love about Bollywood?

There is so much scope that the industry has to offer if you have the talent. It can take you to the top.

What do you do when not shooting?

I do theatre. I have also written a two-hour play which was released by Amitabh Bachchan recently, it is in a book form. I am a family man. When I have time, I take a break and just go out for a few days to relax with them.