The first thing that you notice about Nathan Jones is his built. At 7 feet, his towering presence is intimidating. The Australian actor and retired professional wrestler, who was seen in movies like Mad Max: Fury Road and Troy and a Tamil film, now forays into Bollywood with A Flying Jatt. Though the powerlifting champion is riding high today, he has had a dark past. He served seven years in a maximum security prison for eight armed robberies between 1985 and 1987. Rather than getting sucked into the world of crime further, he decided to channelise his energies into powerlifting. Ask him about his prison tenure and the 'gentle giant', as he is fondly called, says his biggest learning was that the power to turn something negative into positive lies within oneself. In a candid chat with BT, Nathan talks about why he is custom-made for Bollywood, how he keeps his anger at bay and why he doesn't want to be stereotyped because of his physicality.

You are playing a baddie in your first Bollywood film. What prompted you to take up this role?
I play Raka, a narcissist who likes to dress well. The smell of money and the intoxication of power consume him completely. He is a classic bad guy who kids would love to hate. They would want to see Tiger Shroff beat me to pulp and hoot when he overpowers me. The build-up for my character is such that people will look forward to the action. I am genuinely scary in the movie and every prop has been used to enhance the fear factor. When there is someone with my kind of built playing a villainous part, it looks more intense on screen.

How is it realistic that a man half your size can defeat you?
It is a superhero movie for children. It is meant to be fun. You need to have a child's imagination to enjoy such films. Kids are impressionable, with a vivid mind, spinning a thousand stories in their heads. C'mon, you can't be realistic about a superhero film. It is about a mortal with a superpower. That's not meant to be real at all. When adults go to watch such films, their mind frame should be that of a younger person who is able to suspend his belief. That's how you can truly enjoy a superhero flick. Turn off all the adult buttons and immerse yourself in the reality spun by the movie.

So how different is Raka from the other baddies you have played?
I tried to play it in a way that kids could enjoy it the most. But there's enough and more for adults to like as well. In this film, I have tried to get the flavour of Dark Knight's Joker (played by Heath Ledger). Raka's laugh and grin has a hint of his eccentricity. But at the end of the day, it is a completely different role. I have a unique talent for being scary. For instance in Troy, I am roaring and have a terrifying presence. Bollywood wants to use its actors differently. They use an actor's potential in combination with their own formula. Over time, I realised that I was born to be in Bollywood. I seamlessly match the drama, intensity, pace and energy of a quintessential Bollywood movie. I've always had the makings of a typical Hindi film baddie.

Were you familiar with Bollywood earlier?
Australia has a huge Indian population. While growing up, I was around those who love Indian culture, the music and especially the dance. I sure know how to dance to Bollywood music. It has the kind of melody which can bring a smile to people's faces. I love Hindi romantic movies. While preparing for this role, I was around a lot of people who would watch Hindi films. Their reactions helped me understand the psyche of viewers. Learning from responses is something I picked up when I started wrestling. You can understand from the crowd's noise what they like and what they don't. I love to tease my audience and keep them guessing. Giving people what they expect the least is the mark of a good entertainer. When I am in the ring with my opponent, I sometimes get hit just to tease the audience. Another trademark trick is pinning down the other man and then letting him loose just for a bit to raise people's hopes, before crushing him completely. Art is a lot about mind games.

When you are hit in a ring, do you lose your temper easily?
On the contrary, work is work, you can't take it personally. But there is a good quality in me. I never get angry. In many of my action scenes, I keep getting hit so that I can use the energy to make my acting look intense. As an artiste - be it a wrestler or an actor - you must know how to tackle your emotions.

Tiger and you are as different as chalk and cheese. How did you two bond?
Tiger was a pleasant surprise. He is dedicated and disciplined. I was amazed how the boy never used a stunt double. He was like my dance partner. There is not much difference between dance and action. Just like how you choreograph a dance piece, in action as well, you choreograph the stunts depending on the strengths and weakness of the people involved. The motive is to get people to enjoy. Tiger and I have an impeccable chemistry and a great sense of timing. I am a dinosaur in front of him. He is a race car and I am a truck (laughs). He is athletic and fast, I am strong and big. So when I punch him, he ducks. And then he comes from behind and catches me off guard. My weaknesses are his strengths and that is what made working with him so much fun. The fact that we are opposites make us bond. We are David and Goliath together and we've tried our best to give the audience what they want to see.

Do you feel that you get stereotyped because of your physicality?
It isn't necessarily a bad thing. But I would like to try different beats. I cannot picture myself in a romantic movie but that doesn't mean I cannot attempt one. Someday, I would like to do a romantic comedy.

Do we assume that you are more comfortable with action movies?
Not at all. I am not into watching fights on screen. When I was younger, I would watch a lot of Bruce Lee films. But I don't believe in senseless violence. I can stomach gore as long as it is not done just for the sake of it. I prefer well-rounded films where the action flows with the story. I like sci-fi movies as one-dimensional films bore me to death.

How different is Hollywood from Bollywood?
When I was working on Mad Max: Fury Road, we were following the script to the tee. Every day on the set, we would improvise to enhance the story. However, when we got down to doing the Tamil film, there wasn't much planning. If you ask me what I liked better, the chaos or the discipline, I wouldn't know. But I know how to adapt well to new things. Right now, Bollywood is scoring better. At least, film makers here know how to utilise me well. In my acting career, Mad Max : Fury Road is probably the only film that has used me adequately as an actor. As surprising as it sounds, Bollywood is more efficient. Sometimes, Hollywood takes a year to complete special effects. But in this film, we were done in less than six months.

How do you rate yourself as an actor?
I am good so far. I'm learning a bit every day and adapting to the new style. Dialogues aren't really my thing but I know I can kill at action.

How did you find the Indian hospitality?
I like to do things on my own. I don't like taking advantage of people. But in India, my team members hardly let me do anything by myself. Every time I was here, they would fuss over me. I had to stop them and say, “Guys, relax. It is me, Nathan.“ People are really nice here. I love Indian food too, as long as it is not too spicy. India and I have a special bond already.

The sequel to John Abraham starrer 2011 actioner Force has reportedly got an upgrade in the stunts department. Turns out, filmmaker Vipul Shah roped in the action team behind George Miller's Academy Award-winning post-apocalyptic action extravaganza, Mad Max: Fury Road, to create some high-octane sequences for his film, which were shot in Budapest a few months ago. The next schedule of Force 2 begins in April and the team hopes to wrap up within weeks following delays after they were denied permission to shoot in China.

“We have the same South African stunt team as Mad Max: Fury Road. They shot for some deadly bike sequences in Budapest. Our action director, Franz Spilhaus, got them on board after director Abhinay Deo and John said that they were keen to have some unusual action in the film,“ Vipul confirms adding that the team is still looking for an alternate location since China is not an option anymore.

“But we want to resume shooting in April so we have to finalise our location soon.“ Abhinay Deo points out that Force was a remake of Tamil and Telugu films but the sequel is completely original. “That helped us experiment with the action too. I plan to wrap up by April-end.“

We have exclusively learnt that Ekta Kapoor has pulled off a casting coup by casting Mad Max's 7 feet supervillain Nathan Jones in her superhero film A Flying Jatt, being directed by Remo D'souza. While Tiger Shroff will play a superhero in the film, Nathan Jones will play the supervillain. Nathan is an Australian actor, an internationally known wrestler and an ace Hollywood baddie and we have learnt that Remo is planning to use his physical attributes to give him a look that will send chills down the audience's spines.