One Ashutosh, many faces......

By Kannan

When he graduated from Delhi's National School of Drama (NSD) in 1994, he was advised by his mentor, Pandit Dev Prabhakar Shastri, to go to Mumbai in search of his destiny. A year later, he got a role in Mahesh Bhatt's TV serial ``Swabhimaan'' which was followed by cameo roles in ``Tamanna'' and ``Zakhm'' before the villainous postman in ``Dushman'' came along.

``I am playing all kinds of roles these days and not just a villain, though my take-off has been as a horrible guy in ``Dushman'' and ``Saransh'', says Ashutosh Rana who is slated to put up appearances as a lovable hero in films like ``Danger'', ``Pardesi Re'', ``Checkmate'', ``Kasur'', ``Blackout'' and ``Underworld''.

While Ashutosh feels there is no difference between positive and negative roles in films, he also does not suffer from any ``insecurity''. ``I am always ready to take risks. I want big success and therefore, I am ready for a big failure,'' he says.

Born in a small village in Madhya Pradesh, Ashutosh had his schooling in Sagar. While in school and college, he did a lot of acting. ``My parents used to say that performing arts leads to the discovery of passion in any person which then becomes a profession. I was encouraged to perform on stage,'' the fiery villain says, pointing out that his acting talents first found expression in Ramlilas.

In college, Ashutosh actively involved himself in student politics. However, acting seemed to be in his blood and with spiritual guidance from his mentor, he soon evolved into a fine performer. ``Acting is like a search for me. It is losing yourself completely in your role so that you really discover yourself,'' he says.

Ashutosh says he has carefully selected the roles in his forthcoming films and hopes people will like him in characters other than the ones in which they have seen him. ``In `Pardesi Re', I am playing the role of a folk singer who comes from a rural belt of Northern India -- who believes in Indian culture and is rooted in himself,'' he informs. ``As an actor, I firmly believe in my roots.''

In ``Danger'', he plays a naive Gujarati accountant while ``Underworld'' will see him play an honest police officer. ``In `Checkmate', I am the faceless lover who makes the heroine (Raveena Tandon) realise the meaning and importance of true love,'' says Ashutosh.

His other films -- ``Blackout'', ``Tumko Meri Kasam'' and ``Hum Panchi Ek Dal Ke'' -- will also establish him as a versatile actor, thus helping him move away from the villainous image. ``I am sure people will accept me in other roles,'' says Ashutosh before adding: ``Acting helps one discover many personalities within ourselves.''

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