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‘It is always exciting to play the antagonist:’ Sanjay Dutt on his role in Shamshera

Sanjay was thrilled to know about the casting coup in Shamshera that pitted him against Ranbir Kapoor because four years back Ranbir had played Sanju.

‘It is always exciting to play the antagonist:’ Sanjay Dutt on his role in Shamshera

If we talk about villains of the industry, it's hard to miss out on Sanjay Dutt's contribution to the same. Be it 'Khal Nayak', Vaastav: The Reality' or 'Agneepath', 'K.G.F: Chapter 2', Sanjay has won many hearts with his strong antagonist roles over the years. And now he is once again to show his wicked side with 'Shamshera'.

Talking about the same, Sanjay said, "It is always exciting to play the antagonist because you get to bend the rules, break the rules. I realised that when you play the antagonist, there are actually impositions or moral boundaries. You can be disruptive. You can take a character from paper and play it the way you want to. I have a lot of fun when I play an antagonist and I'm fortunate that people have loved my performances as the nemesis of a hero so far." On Wednesday, the makers of Shamshera unveiled the film's trailer and since then netizens have been praising Sanjay for his spine-chilling act.


Opening up about his character, Sanjay shared, "Shudh Singh is a character that you have never seen on screen. He is just pure evil. He is menacing, he is untrustworthy and he will go to any length to wreak havoc. I loved the fact that Karan Malhotra created a villain like this and he thought of me to play this role. He gave me a free hand to bring Shudh Singh to life and I hope people like my effort."

Sanjay was thrilled to know about the casting coup in Shamshera that pitted him against Ranbir Kapoor because four years back Ranbir had played Sanju.

"It is also quite interesting that I'm pitted against Ranbir, who played me in Sanju. So, the on-screen enmity between him and me becomes all the more interesting for people. Ranbir is a brilliant actor but this film sees him in a new gaze. His boyish charm is inimitable, but in this film, he is a man who finds his footing and looks glorious on screen," he added.

Helmed by Karan Malhotra, 'Shamshera' is set in the fictitious city of Kaza, where a warrior tribe is imprisoned, enslaved and tortured by a ruthless authoritarian general Shudh Singh. This is the story of a man who became a slave, a slave who became a leader, and then a legend for his tribe. He relentlessly fights for his tribe's freedom and dignity. His name is Shamshera.

Produced by Aditya Chopra, 'Shamshera' is set to release in Hindi, Tamil and Telugu on July 22, 2022.

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Top India survey reveals Bollywood divide: A-listers thrive as crew members face 60 per cent pay cuts

Highlights

  • Entertainment workers report 50-60 per cent pay cuts compared to earlier years.
  • Behind-the-scenes staff most affected by industry slowdown.
  • Many workers leave Mumbai or take side jobs to cover expenses.
India's entertainment industry is facing growing money problems as workers across Bollywood and television production report major pay cuts and less work.
A survey by Top India, involving more than 1,000 people linked to the entertainment sector, shows many workers are either getting limited work or seeing their salaries drop sharply.

Many people in the survey said payments for available projects have fallen by nearly 50 to 60 percent compared to previous years. The money troubles come as the world deals with tensions and economic uncertainty.

Recent moves for energy savings and tighter spending across sectors have added pressure, with clear effects now showing in Bollywood and television production.

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