Bobby Deol on villain roles: ‘I try really hard to break out of that’

Bobby Deol says he is making a conscious effort to move beyond his villain image by choosing diverse roles. At the Jagran Film Festival, the actor spoke about stereotypes, upcoming projects and genres he finds challenging, including over-the-top comedy

New Delhi: Actor Bobby Deol on Saturday said he has been flooded with villainous roles but has been making a conscious effort to break away from the image by taking on diverse projects.

Speaking on the sidelines of the Jagran Film Festival here, Bobby said it is quite natural that when an actor becomes successful in any character, they get stereotyped afterwards.

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“If an actor becomes successful in a particular kind of role, they keep getting similar roles. That’s what happens in the industry. And I try really hard to break out of that. I’ve just done a film called ‘Bandar’, which was very different,” the 57-year-old actor told PTI.

“Bandar”, which saw him play an aging star who is accused of rape by his ex-girlfriend, was directed by filmmaker Anurag Kashyap. The movie was released in theatres in June and received positive reviews from the critics.

Bobby’s other two projects of the year were “Alpha”, starring Alia Bhatt and Sharvar, and “Jana Nayagan”, in which he starred alongside Tamil Nadu CM C Joseph Vijay. And in both the movies, the actor essayed the role of the antagonist.

The actor said whenever he gets the role of a villain, he tries to play the character in a different way.

“Even within antagonist roles, there are different kinds of antagonists, with different shades. So I enjoy playing those,” he said.

“I’m also going to do a few web series that will be different,” he added.

His next project is the Prime Video series “Teen Kauwe”. The spy drama, which is currently in production, will also star Sidhant Gupta, Fatima Sana Shaikh and Pavail Gulati.

Asked if there was any genre he would be uncomfortable exploring as an actor, Bobby said he doesn’t “understand over-the-top comedy, slapstick comedy so much”.

“I feel very uncomfortable doing that. And those kinds of movies, they have to be written really well. So that’s a big chance you take when you do something like that,” the actor added.

The 2026 edition of the Jagran Film Festival will come to an end on August 22.