Two and a half decades is a long time for anyone to not just survive in a competitive industry like Bollywood, but also create a name for self. And Arshad Warsi has managed to do just that, shining in films such as Munnabhai series, Ishqiya and Golmaal franchise, etc.

Recently seen in Durgamati, a horror film for a change, we ask him whether his comedy image ever became a stumbling block for him in his career, and he says, “I enjoy doing comedy, it’s fun. But I enjoy doing serious roles, too. It’s not that I’ve not been offered, but I’ve rejected a lot. The ones I’ve done, did well, like Jolly LLB and Ishqiya.”

The ones which he had to turn down didn’t excite him enough, so he didn’t do it. “Everybody likes to laugh, so comedies usually do well for the producers, too. Also, I’m good at it. But I would like to break the monotony and do some serious roles as well so that I feel good as an actor,” says Warsi, who portrayed a rather intense character in the web series Asur (2020).

However, turning down roles in a field where egos get hurt easily is easier said than done. And the actor agrees that he has done it too. “I have bruised a lot of egos. Many a times I meet new directors who have heard some things about me, and when they meet me, their impression changes dramatically. They say, ‘This is what I heard about you’. And the truth is that every time I say ‘no’ to a film or director, they’re not going to like it or say bad things about you,” admits the actor, who has started shooting for his next, Bachchan Pandey.

Warsi had to learn the art of saying no on the job. He adds, “You’ve got to be tactful in saying that. People who’ve worked with me have a completely different opinion of me. If you’re a person who can make everybody happy, then there’s something wrong with you.”