An unconventional baddie

Model-turned-actor Freddy Daruwala is out to prove that villains can look suave and stylish too. After having played the lead antagonist in 'Holiday' in 2014, Freddy made an appearance in 'Force 2' and is looking forward to making his audience swoon over his mysterious character, Bakhtawar Khan, in soon-to-release 'Commando 2'. In conversation with the newest bad boy of Bollywood:

Both Holiday and your recent cameo in Force 2 have won you accolades. So, what’s new about Bhaktawar, your character in Commando 2?
Bhaktawar follows law and order, and there’s a lot of ambiguity around him. The character is so important, that till the very end you wouldn’t be able to decide if he’s a negative character or a positive one. Without revealing the plot, I’d say there’s much more to the character than just positives and negatives. He’s an interesting character; Bhaktawar Khan is unlike anybody else in the movie.

After Holiday, people look at you as an antagonist. Do you fear being typecast?
Well, I don’t mind being the villain in Bollywood. There’s nobody right now who’s actually a great villain, and it’s a great time for me to cash in. These days, there’s just a think line between positive and negative. And villains aren’t like they were earlier — weirdly dressed or bad looking guys. They’re well dressed and much more stylish. It’s much more interesting nowadays and I don’t mind it.

Why did you take a break after 'Holiday' in 2014? What kept you busy?
Honestly, the body of work I was being offered wasn’t as exciting as 'Holiday', or even close to it. I was being offered a lot of films, a lot of big films, but the characters had no depth or importance. You know, after being launched in a big film like this, you tend to get a little ambitious about the projects you want to do. So I was very picky about what I wanted. I was okay with doing small films. I did one called 'Umeed'; it was small but it’s beautiful, and the character had a lot of ethics and values. So I’ve done a small film, and an out and out commercial one like 'Commando 2'. There’s nothing that’s stopping me, but I was being picky because I’m not a Khan or a Kapoor or have any godfather in the industry. It’s very easy to succumb and give in to the greed of earning more and more. But I resisted and still am, because I want to see myself going higher in my career.

Considering that models are seldom taken seriously in the film industry, has it been difficult for you to make your place here?
I had to prove myself. I had to get into acting and prove myself because most people think that models aren’t great actors. So, that was the biggest challenge in front of me, and to a great extent I think I’ve been successful in it. For people to take us seriously, I think it takes a lot of time. I’ve taken up theatre workshops and dance workshops. These are things that make people think ‘Yes, this guy is working hard.’

Are you contemplating modelling again?
I stopped modelling when 'Holiday' released. Quitting it was my choice, because I was more interested in acting. I’m getting a good response. I have no plans of going back to modelling.

Tell us about your future projects…
After 'Commando 2', Vipul (Amrutlal Shah, producer) and I are working on a script that we will hopefully announce soon. There’s 'Umeed', which will go for international film festivals. So, I’ll be travelling for the promotions and festivals, and then I’m doing a regional film, for which I will start shooting after 'Commando 2' releases.