EXCLUSIVE: Mukesh Rishi reveals Raj Babbar had a huge influence on him playing the perfect villain on screen- Here’s how

Veteran actor Mukesh Rishi is known for playing the antagonist in Bollywood movies. He has played villains in films like Gardish, Ghatak, Judwaa, Gunda, Sooryavansham and many more. But did you know what inspired him to become a villain? Well, during a podcast of Bollywood Bubble’s Let’s Talk, Mukesh revealed that while shooting for an ad commercial, the director told him that he exuded a villain look. Since then he understood that he looked like a villain. Even while shooting for Gardish (1993), Mukesh revealed that it was Raj Babbar who boosted him up for a scene and gave him the confidence to play the villain.

Mukesh Rishi on playing a villain in the movies

In an exclusive interview with Bollywood Bubble, the Sooryavansham actor said, “Hamare time humein batane wala koi nahi tha ki hum villain hai ya hero hai. Aur zyada confusion tha hi nahi mujhe ki hero banu ya villain banu.” Additionally, despite having good looks and tall height, he never considered himself a hero and he felt powerful with that. “Agar main filmy background se hota ya filmy logon mein reh raha hoga toh shayad koi mujhe iss tarah kehta jis Tarah ek lambe aadmi ko kehte hai. Par mujhe kisika prabhav nahi tha kyuki mere filmy dost toh the hi nahi but jo ho raha tha main usko mehsoos kar raha tha.“

He also added that he got a lot of help from Raj Babbar. Narrating the scene, Mukesh revealed that they once were sitting in a hotel room where Raj Babbar asked him if he had read the script of Gardish. Rishi said he did not read the script. But he gave the best motivation by saying, “Ek baat yaad rakhna Mukesh, sab seniors hai tere aas paas, Amrish ji, Dimple Kapadia, Jackie Shroff, Raj Babbar aur director ki bhi peheli film hai. Ho sakta hai ki tere pe kabhi dhyaan na jaaye, lekin ye baat yaad rakhna ki jab tu pathaani suit pehenega na bus itna samjha lena tu ki tu hi tu hai’. Mujhe aisa laga ki kisine 20 shots injections dedi hai. Unhone mere pe hawa bhar di hai.”

He said that whatever he wanted to do from inside, he got to do in Gardish. He felt that it was his character and he didn’t have to really work hard for it.

Watch the full interview

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