Mukul Dev: I'm a superstar villain

You can see him in Kumkum. You can catch him on Ardhangini. Mukul Dev is back in your favourite serials on TV after a two-year break. We talked to the actor about his comeback, and his newfound liking for negative roles...

How does it feel after making a comeback?

"You can't really call it a comeback," says Mukul. "I was never really away from TV. I was away from the daily soap space for sure. I did a few shows like Fear Factor and Fun on the run on Zee TV. You can definitely call it my comeback on the daily soap genre. My last serial appearance was in Kashish on Zee TV and K. Street Pali Hill on Star Plus."

So, what kept him away from TV?

"Lots of things kept me occupied," says Dev. "I did a few movies down south which are running successfully. I also acted in a Bengali and a Telugu film each. And I’m also a commercial pilot apart from being an actor. So, I was busy getting my licence reviewed for that."

Well, well, well, so Mukul sure had been busy. But what's with this entire image shift on TV all of a sudden? Why replace the cute hero look with this strikingly new anti-hero image?

"Going negative was definitely a conscious decision," explains the actor. He excitedly goes on to talk about his tryst with the negative image and says, "I got sick playing the 'sweet boy'. Also, I'm maturing as an actor as well as an individual. I don't think I can play a college boy anymore. As an actor, I want to explore different characters. And I think I fit in the negative hero area well enough. My character in the Bangla film as well as the Telugu movie had negative shades. And apparently, they are doing pretty well. I had also acted as a Rajput prince practicing black magic in Koi Hai. I like playing negative. So, why not now?"

But how will his fans take it? They surely were expecting a good hero and not a villain.

"I will change their mindset about Mukul Dev," says the actor confidently. "And not that I ever had that much of an image to change," continues the actor, "I’m not exactly Tulsi of Kyunki or Mihir Virani you know. People remember Mukul Dev as many things. I have always played a character and moved on to play something new. There's no single image that has stuck on."

What next? Is it all going to be negative henceforth?

"Most definitely," says Mukul. "I have a couple of offers. There's Telugu cinema, where I’m already the celebrated superstaaar villain!" says Mukul in his best South Indian accent. "I will do anything negative that comes my way. Main sab kuch karoonga, (I'll do everything) as long as the role is good. That is one thing I always see before taking any offer. If the role isn't good, it's no fun working."

Well, we sure wish the actor the very best for the future. Hope these negatives prove to be a positive career move!