He last appeared in The Empire as Wazir Khan, Rahul Dev has been a part of over 130 movies and web series in his 20-decade long career. He not only acted in Bollywood but was also a part of several successful Telugu, Tamil, Kannada, and Malayalam movies. Known for pulling off ‘baddie and negative shades’ with ease, the 53-year old actor speaks about his latest outing, Anamika, and the reason he was away from the limelight for five years. Excerpts:
Can you tell us about your role in Anamika?
I play the character Ravi Srivastava, who is the head of an investigative organisation that trained Anamika (Sunny Leone) as an agent. Because of this, he knows how she works, and her weak points. It makes for a very interesting equation on screen.
What made you say yes to the script?
Vikram Bhatt and I go back a long way. In the early 2000s, I worked with him for Awara Paagal Deewana, a comedy film. Post that we worked on three more projects and Anamika is our fifth collaboration. When he called me to talk about this role, I was intrigued. Ravi is a strong, intelligent, and powerful guy. I also liked how the show gave an open ending for both Ravi and Anamika's characters. So, when I heard the story, I knew I had to be a part of this.
How was the experience on set?
It was one of the most comfortable sets in terms of working and shooting. As I said, I have known Vikram for a while, and even with Sunny, this is our third collaboration. The whole unit was a friendly lot.
You speak about being away from the cinema for a while. Why did you take the break?
My wife, Rina Dev, passed away. It was an unfortunate incident.
Oh, that must have been tough...
Yes, and I wanted to be there for my son to my fullest potential. So, I moved cities, took a break, and then came back to my work.
You have been a part of several Telugu projects. Any plans on doing a movie here soon?
I acted in 33 Telugu films. I would love to be a part of a great script. But, since I took a five-year sabbatical, I am trying to rebuild everything from scratch. So, I am slightly inclined to Bollywood projects at this moment.
What’s next for you?
There are a few movies I am working on. I am shooting for Vikram’s 1920 sequel, and will soon start working for Sanjay Gupta’s next.
Finally, what do you do to stay fit?
I think it is very important to take care of your mind and body. Especially in a profession like mine, it becomes even more important to stay fit. I sometimes like to indulge in a bar of chocolate, but I mostly stick to my diet. I also ensure that I do not miss my gym sessions.
Anamika is streaming on MX Player.
— bsuchitra@newindianexpress.com