You began your journey as a villain. Most actors want to begin their journey as a hero…
I am not a rejected hero, I am a khalnayak by choice. I had decided during my acting school days itself that I want to be a villain. There were two reasons for that--- firstly, you have to be a very good actor to play the villain. Secondly, as a villain, you have a longer shelf-life--- your career is not dependent on your age or looks.
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There were many villains in Bollywood then and everyone had a stamp of authority. Was it tough to find a foothold?
If you take a look at the history of Hindi cinema, you’ll see many fantastic actors who have played villains -- Kanhaiyalalji, Pran sahab, Ajit, Danny sahab, Ranjeetji, Shakti Kapoor, Sadashiv Amrapurkar, Amrish Puri sahab. They were all brilliant, but I came with formal training in acting which helped (pauses).
Go on...
People would look at me and say: ‘Villain toh nahi ban sakte’. They felt I don’t have the demeanor or height which could make me look threatening enough. This made me very insecure and triggered many thoughts.
Like for one?
It triggered a very rationale and intelligent discussion with my ownself: Why should I look like a villain in real life? Why should my demeanor, persona and behaviour be that of a villain on screen? Why can’t I be a normal actor? 
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Did you ever feel like giving up?
Confusion does create a certain amount of insecurity. You start doubting whether you took the right decision. People’s opinion about you and your self-confidence can create a conflict, which, if you are a weak person, can overcome you. But my foundation was very strong; I was an educated, formally trained actor.
After Rocky (1981) and Avtaar (1983), there was a huge change in you. Your dialogue delivery improved. Which was that movie which made the all-important difference?
There are no dramatic ups or downs in my career. Everything was a hard struggle, everything was one step at a time. Apart from my hard work, the directors, technicians and writers who chose me to work with them were very kind to me. They were interested in translating my hard work on screen. I remember I would take hours to get ready and yet, my co-actors were very co-operative about it. In all this, I was also sure that I wanted to be successful. Nothing could stop me then, nothing can stop me now.
That doesn't answer my question...
I would say there have been many significant films. For example, in Ek Jaan Hain Hum (1983), which saw the launch of Rajeev Kapoor, I got to play a college villain. In Avtaar, I played an ungrateful son, who is like a social villain. In Balu Mahendra’s Sadma (1983), which had Kamal Haasan and Sridevi, I was a silent character. Then, Umesh Mehra gave me Sohni Mahiwal (1984), which broadened my horizons. And how can I forget Subhash Ghai who gave me Ram Lalkhan (1984) which made me into 'Bad Man' (smiles)?
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You got the Bad Man title from Ram Lakhan and started using it in almost every movie after that. Were you pushing that?
After Ram Lakhan, my name changed from Gulshan Grover to Bad Man. People started addressing me like that. It just happened.
Do you like the tag?
Any appreciation of your work is welcome.
Did you ever think that the tag 'Bad Man' will become a movie one day?
I never thought I’ll be the lead hero in a film titled Bad Man. The film is produced by Viacom 18. The director, Soumik Sen, has made films like Gulaab Gang (2013). The movie also has an impressive cast. It’s a great endeavour with lots of expenses involved. A lot of thought has gone into it. A journalist recently pointed out to me that, while so many actors have these kind of tags--- Amitabh Bachchan is the Angry Young Man, Anil Kapoor is Lakhan and Salman Khan is Prem -- yet a film has not been made with these tags as the title.
What’s Bad Man about?
I cannot reveal much about the film except that it’s a very entertaining and quirky film. I have played myself -- Gulshan Grover, the Bad Man. The story is a mix of realism and fantasy. The film also has some industry people playing themselves.
Bad Man required you to enact some of your old scenes from past films. Could you perform with the same intensity?
I have revisited some of my characters but with a quirky twist. In order to recreate the look of those characters, I had to request my old team--- be it the senior make-up man Suresh dada or the wig-maker Malik-- to help me out. A point came when my vanity van was filled with nostalgia. People who had worked with me for over 3 decades were all there! The challenge was if those characters will suit my face now.
Were there sequences that you found particularly tough? Not too long ago, Shah Rukh Khan had told me it was tough to recreate Baazigar and Darr in his upcoming film Fan...
I completely agree with Shah Rukh. I experienced difficulty in recreating some scenes from Ram Lakhan, Sir and Shola Aur Shabnam. I had to watch all those films again. We even had to postpone the shoot many times to get everything right. A lot of hard work has gone into the making of Bad Man. But I must say, we have pulled it off remarkably well.
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