Dino Morea has been in the industry for over two decades and has seen his share of ups and downs. After a break and some self-introspection, the actor came back in the news with OTT shows like Tandav and The Empire. Dino, who is all pepped now, tells BT, “If I am still being offered work and getting acknowledged for it, I guess it means I have done something right.” Excerpts:

Talking about his Bollywood journey, he says, “At one point, I was doing the same thing repeatedly. There was a time when filmmakers were casting Bipasha (Basu) and me in films, as we were looked upon as a hit jodi. I think we did around five films together. Then both of us consciously decided not to do any more films together because, ultimately, people would get bored. Then I did some ‘guy films’ like Plan and Fight Club – Members Only. My career started with a bang, then it slipped and hit rock bottom. There are times when you are tempted to pick up a small role because the money offered is huge, but you have to stand by your decision. Today, my driving force is nothing but good roles.”

He adds, “Sustaining in this industry is tough. If you are not from the film industry, you often think you are being guided correctly by people who are from here, but later you realize that everyone is only looking out for themselves. The film industry taught me a lot. It opened my eyes in so many ways. When your stocks are low, people will not give you movies and that’s the time you have to work on yourself and hope that something comes your way and grab it before somebody else does.”

At one point, the actor started turning down offers, elaborating on that phase of his life, the Tandav actor says, “I had started doing smaller roles with the hope that one day I will get a bigger role in a big film. Then one day, I decided that I should start declining projects that had nothing for me to offer. I was worried about whether I will get work in films again. Because, as they say, out of sight is out of mind. There are times when you are tempted to pick up a small role because the money offered is huge, but you have to stand by your decision. Today, my driving force is nothing but good roles. Fortunately, the OTT space opened, offers started coming in, and people are appreciating my work. I am all pepped up now. Give me a great role and I will smash it. Today, I am dying to do a really big Hindi theatrical film… something that becomes hugely successful, commercially, like Raaz.”

In recent times, Dino has particularly enjoyed essaying characters with grey shades, like he did in his Telugu debut Agent earlier this year. He shares, “Gone are the days of being heroes or villains, today, it is all about playing characters. Every film is about characters and if you play your character well, then people will love it. It doesn’t matter whether you are playing an antagonist or a protagonist, it is about what you are adding to the story. As a villain, you can bring a certain madness to the screen. The audience loves to see a bad boy on screen.”

Tandav and The Empire changed the game for Dino Morea. The web series, which saw him as the villain, came as a refreshing change after a slew of chocolate-boy roles in forgettable movies. Now, the actor is enjoying building on the bad boy image. He will be seen as the antagonist pitted against Malayalam superstar Mammootty, and Akhil Akkineni in Agent, which releases today. The spy action thriller, helmed by Surender Reddy, marks Morea’s debut in Telugu cinema. The actor does not view it as a big shift.

“If the story is convincing, why not be a part of it? Even if the film is made in a different part of India, it is as mainstream as our Hindi movies,” he says, before quipping, “The Hindi film industry is buying rights to Tamil, Telugu, Malayalam and Kannada films. I’m directly working with the source.”

Working with Mammootty has been an honour for the actor. “I loved the challenge of being at the top of my game when doing a scene with Mammootty sir. When someone like him says you did a good job, that means the world to you.” But learning Telugu for the film wasn’t a cakewalk. “Initially, I started with learning only my lines. Eventually, I got a hang of it.”

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He looked towards Telugu and Malayalam films such as Agent and Bandra (an upcoming project), respectively, when the going got rough for him in the Hindi industry. And actor Dino Morea says that difficult phase made him try his hand at other things, one of which was producing the comedy Helmet (2021).

The tough phase, which lasted right up to the point that the web show The Empire came along, had almost convinced him that his career was over. “Insecurity set in, I felt, ‘[Does] no one really want to work with me? Will I get good work? Will I have to find an alternate career?’ You really have to know your place and forget ego,” he quips.

The 47-year-old would reach out to filmmakers in the Hindi industry. But translate into work it did not, and Morea says: “Bollywood is a fantastic place, no two ways about it. If you do films or keep working, people will respect you and the work you have done. They will entertain you. Thereafter comes the business of cinema, which is a different ball game altogether.”

Every producer looking for only big faces for their films is a major obstacle, the actor laments. “The perception is that only certain actors can sell tickets, even though it has been proved time and again it’s not the actor — it’s the movie and the story. Films are like the stock market. When the stocks are up and the price is great, you are in demand. When the stocks are low, you have got to work hard to get the stocks up again. Bollywood is a great place to be in. But when it comes to work, you have got to make a place, fight for it,” Morea wraps up.