Negative roles are one of the most difficult characters to pull off onscreen. Bringing out a shade which is not inherently innate to your personality, takes a lot of effort and preparation. While negative characters were a commonality in previous times, in today’s times, the characters have become more detailed and more layered so as to bring out a realistic shade to them. Not many are able to portray such negative characters with gusto in today’s time.
To add to the pressure, in today’s OTT platforms, the negative characters are not just pure villainous. Actors have been bringing on a shade of grey to the characters which makes them look believable to the audiences. People might want to hate them, but they end up secretly enjoying those characters with guilty sadistic pleasure.
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Here are 4 actors who’ve recently taken the level up for such negative characters on OTT and left a huge impact:
Tillotama Shome (‘Delhi Crime 2’)
Playing the character of Lata Solanki aka Karishma in ‘Delhi Crime 2’, Tillotama Shome brings in a level of craziness to the character which not many in today’s time will be able to pull off. From the very first scene she is onscreen, she owns the character and ensures that the audience is questioning her motives every bit of the way. The way she dodges the cops and how she manages to piss off her own team is the sheer brilliance of the character. Shome does justice by showcasing so many different emotions in just a short screen time.
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Ankur Bhatia (‘Aarya’ & ‘Aarya 2’)
Playing Sangram Singh in the two seasons of ‘Aarya’ wasn’t an easy character to pull off for someone so young and new in the film industry. Yet, Ankur Bhatia managed to come out with flying colours. The character is manipulating everyone at every given opportunity. You’re not sure whether what he’s saying is true or if there is some hidden agenda of his behind what he’s saying. He is selfish in his needs but never wants to harm his family. He brings a bit of ethics into a menacing criminal family. Bhatia managed to get that balance of a grey character perfectly.
Divyenndu Sharma (‘Mirzapur’ & ‘Mirzapur 2’)
Plain and suave, yet you’re unsure of what’s he going to do next. That’s the brilliance of Divyendu Sharma playing Phoolchand Tripathi aka Munna Bhaiya in the two seasons of ‘Mirzapur’. His brain works in more criminal ways than you can even imagine. Even before something happens, he has pre-empted that and turned that wave somehow into his favour. He leaves you entertained in every scene he is on.
Abhishek Banerjee (‘Paatal Lok’)
One of the most iconic negative characters of today’s times is Hatoda Singh in ‘Paatal Lok’. The character was so unique that you’re made to question yourself – ‘Do such types of people also exist in today’s time?’ The answer is yes, and Abhishek Banerjee’s brilliant portrayal ensured that you’re scared to your wits watching this character on the show.
