I’m happy doing negative roles: Abhishek Rawat

He's been an integral part of Sony's Babul Ka Aangan Chootey Na. But his character blended in the show without making waves. But the lad who shot to fame with Fundamint's TV commercial (as the young call center executive) finally had his calling as the bad man in the number one show on Sony.

With a glint in his eye, he says, "Contrary to my breed who want the lead roles, I am very happy doing negative shades. There's the extra dash of meat in such roles. I know that playing lead makes you household names, but in today's times, that formula really does not work."

He is unfazed by the criticism of the controversial rape scene in the family showcase. Defending the sequence, he says, "India is a democratic country and the demographics have their own say. Yes, the sequence did raise the hackles of some viewers, but there were other viewers who had no issues with the rape sequence. People are always going to have a problem, either which way, but at the end of the day, as an actor, I felt I could do justice to the role. I wouldn't have done it otherwise". Abhishek has even more reasons to defend the scene as that marked a turning point for his character, "It was very difficult to enact the scene on screen. It was unpleasant but I think I finally arrived in the show after that episode."

True, but why settle for the role of a bad guy when he can easily play the lead? The spunky actor had an interesting answer for that, "As an actor, I am a very restless soul. And that's probably the reason why I haven't stretched myself in TV. A staple diet of a lead role is so boring. I could never succumb to that and more so, as an individual I feel I don't have to prove anything to anybody."

Yes, we couldn't help but agree with him. The industry knows how to pick up good talent. Gone are the days where one actor held the monopoly. Today, the actors are stretched across genres in TV. But unlike his coterie who is focused on amassing daily shows, Abhishek is experimenting with other genres as well. With Nagesh Kukunoor's next - Yeh Hausla in his kitty, Abhishek has a couple of Bollywood assignments up his sleeve and is looking forward to his theatrical release, which is in the pipeline.

And when it comes to TV, he says, "I am content being a part of Ratna Sinha's showcase. I am not big enough for a reality show as yet. But, do I honestly see myself singing and dancing is a question that will be answered only when I sign the dotted line."