Southern star Ganesh Venkatram makes his Bollywood debut as the villain in Guns Of Banaras

Mumbai, March 2 (IANS): Southern star Ganesh Venkatram has worked with veterans like Amitabh Bachchan, Kamal Haasan, Mohanlal and Nagarjun in over 20 films across Tamil, Telugu and Malayalam languages.

This week, Guns Of Banaras marked Ganesh Venkatram's Bollywood debut, as the villain of the film.

The film directed by Shekkhar Suri also features Karan Nath, Nathalia Kaur, Abhimanyu Singh, Zarina Wahab and Shilpa Shirodkar.

"I am forever indebted to directors down South to have appreciated my talent and effort. I would not have been able to venture into Bollywood unless I had done credible work," said Ganesh.

Ganesh earned rave reviews for his role in the 2010 Malayalam war drama Kandahar, which starred Amitabh Bachchan and Mohanlal. He played a commando on the film and Big B's son.

Ganesh is extremely happy with the fantastic feedback he is getting for his Bollywood debut, from colleagues such as Sunny Kaushal and Shakti Kapoor.

However, he holds one compliment very special. "Of all the compliments I have received, the one closest to my heart is the one from the evergreen Rekha ji," he blushes.

He underwent a rigorous transformation to get into his role of the cocaine-snorting Banarasi gangster in Guns Of Banaras.

"I believe in giving my best and hence I go to any length to get into the skin of my character. I am also grateful to have had the opportunity to work in a content-oriented film like Guns of Banaras," he said.

The action sequences for the film have been choreographed by Shyam Kaushal, who is the father of actors Vicky and Sunny Kaushal.