Spending a week at his home in Delhi after almost two years of hectic work, was no less than a blessing for Rahul Dev, who says that “this seven-day period was the longest break I got in the last two years.” For many in the showbiz industry, the last two years have been a tough phase, owing to the pandemic, with projects getting shelved and shoots getting postponed indefinitely. However, Rahul says that he’s been busy throughout, with back to back films and series to shoot.

“I know that people have been saying ki kaam nahi hua…but for me it was very productive. I had eight releases in the last two years. There’s been so much work that I managed to get some time to spend at my Delhi home after years,” adds Rahul.

The actor, who has worked in Tamil, Kannada, Telugu and Malayalam films, says that today it’s a matter of pride and privilege for actors to be working in south cinema, but when he chose to do that, some of his friends made fun of him.

Rahul shares, “When I would do films in south India, some of my friends would make fun of me. They would say, ‘kya yaar, tu kaisi film kar raha hai?’ I feel these films have contributed a lot to my growth. I feel that my talent was undermined here (in Bollywood). If I grew up in Delhi and came from modelling, why can’t I play a Bihari or a man from UP in Hindi films? If S S Rajamouli can cast me in a Telugu film and I can get state awards for my performance there, why would I not get such kind of roles here?”

He continues, “I did 33 films in Telugu, 17 films in Tamil, 17 films in Kannada, 5 films in Malayalam. If I am good enough to play a Malayali or a Kannadiga or a Tamilian, and if I can work hard to accomplish that with some outstanding directors, I don’t know why I would not be considered to play a Bihari or a guy from UP in Hindi films. In fact, that would be relatively easier for me. I was not getting the kind of roles that I wanted to do. After a while I started getting irritated that every role that I would get was of the ‘main villain’.”

Rahul says, “Once I started working there (in the South), years went by and I had so much work that I had to get a house in Hyderabad. That was the time I took a break from doing Hindi films. But I am happy that I got to work with some outstanding directors and today it is a matter of pride to be working in south films and with those directors. Now the perception has changed, abhi toh shaan ki baat hai south ki film karna.”

Rahul, who has a career spanning over two decades in films, says that he is enjoying the kind of work that is being offered to him now. “I wish I was born 20 years later, because the variety of roles that you get to do now, you didn’t get that before. With me there was always a tag of playing a villain, I am thankful to Nikkhil Advani, who helped me break that image. I am trying my best to do roles that I have not been offered in the past. But even the past work that I did has been a learning experience for me. I tried to do something different when I started my career in films. Like, I worked with Kalpana Lajmi in the movie Kyon, but that didn’t work then because it was probably ahead of its time. There were a certain kind of films – larger than life – that worked then and those even work now, garnering crores at the box office. And doing those kinds of films wasn’t easy. In fact, that is far more difficult than acting in a film that is realistic. So, that was a learning experience for me. But if you ask me what I like more, I am enjoying the current phase where I am being offered different roles in some very good stories,” said Rahul.

The actor, who has always been known for his love for fitness and looks visibly leaner these days, says that he is in the process of losing weight for his upcoming project, in which he is playing the role of a CBI officer. “I have been working hard to lose my muscle weight for this role, as I wanted to look like a regular guy. I think it is important for actors today to bring necessary changes in how they look and speak to look more real and relatable on screen, as the kind of stories being written today are more realistic. Also, one needs to think of the portrayal of any character keeping today’s audience in mind, which is better exposed to world cinema and has different expectations. I work on myself as per the character that is being offered to me, and the kind of story and background that character has. If one doesn’t work like that today, one ends up looking similar on screen always,” says the actor.