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.”

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.”