His bearded look grabbed a lot of attention and was perfect for some of the roles Dino Morea was seen in recently. “The decision to go clean-shaven again was because I hadn’t seen my face for three years,” he says as he sported the look in multiple projects back-to-back. He explains, “I had the beard for three years. I did Hostages, Tandav, and then The Empire with a longer beard. People saw me in this new look, liked it and so work kept coming in. It became my signature look.”

So, wasn’t it tough to come to a decision to go clean-shaven? “It wasn’t a hard decision. See, the look created a buzz because nobody really saw me in that avatar, especially the one from The Empire where my character looked menacing and dangerous. Even after The Empire, I continued to sport the beard because I did three films… one Telugu, Malayalam and a Hindi film (with the beard). I feel fine now in the new look. It takes a day or two to get used to it. These are beard stories. To shave or not to shave is a bit of a decision. It is a man's decision. Men also have these problems you see.”

His current look, he says, has taken his fans back to his earlier days. He shares, “It took them back to my Raaz, Pyaar Mein Kabhi Kabhi, Fight Club – Members Only days where I was always clean-shaven. Filmmakers have already seen me in a different light (in my bearded look). They have seen me perform. So, interesting stuff is coming my way, a lot in the negative space. Now when they see that I am clean-shaven again I don’t know if that changes, but a clean-shaven guy can also be menacing.”

If there’s one thing that changes Dino wishes is that he gets approached to play a romantic lead. He signs off saying, “I do miss playing the romantic lead. I want to do a really beautiful romantic film. I can’t wait to be a part of a lovely love story again.”