Beyond negative roles

Watching Anant Jog play negative characters in films like ‘Rowdy Rathore’, ‘Singham’ and other successful films, it makes one wonder what the person behind those piercing blue eyes is really like. While speaking with him during his recent visit to Goa, we learn just that. The actor is making his Konkani film debut with Joywin Fernandes’ film, ‘7 Dayz’. 

Speaking about being a part of ‘7 Dayz’, Anant said, “The character has different shades to it and it was a very nice experience working with the cast and crew of the film.” The veteran theatre and film actor took the time to interact with the Goan actors and learn about the language while on set. “I am new to Konkani as a language as I had never heard it spoken nor watched any Konkani movies. But actors like Prince Jacob, Kevin D’Mello, Sonam Morajkar and Rajdeep Naik made it very easy for me. They helped me with the pronunciation and the Konkani dialect,” he added.

When asked about how he gets into character for a villainous role, he explained, “It is more like driving a car. When you are new, you will keep looking at the gears before changing but once you get used to driving, you automatically switch gears. The same goes for acting. I have played these roles with much ease over the years. But I pity the filmmakers who think I can only play negative roles.”

Being a villain for most of his performances, had it changed how people look at him in the real world? To this, he said, “It is not just children who get frightened, many adults also hesitate to look me in the eye. They get scared to speak to me and will shyly take a peek. It is even difficult for us to find house help as they all get scared to work in our house. Some even give the condition to keep the front door open when they are working,” quipped Anant with a laugh.

When he is not working on any Hindi or Marathi film, Anant can be found reading books. “I love reading, especially Marathi novels and short stories. I have also written Marathi and Hindi dialogues for a film which will be directed by Joywin,” he said. Anant will be next seen in ‘Julie 2’, a film by Deepak Shivdasani, and ‘Corruption ki Maa Ka’ featuring Sunny Leone and Dharmendra. Anant is currently playing a cameo role in the Hindi television series ‘Meri Awaaz Hi Meri Pechann Hai’. 

Joywin recently won the best regional film award at the Rajasthan FIlm Festival for ‘MMS’. When he wanted an actor to play the role, Anant Jog filled he didn’t know how to approach him. “I called a mutual friend and asked to speak to him. Over the phone, all he said was his fees and that I should not bother with the script if I don’t want to pay the amount. I agreed and he said to send in the script. I met him and read him the script in English. Amazingly, he loved the script and agreed to do the film without any charges,” said Joywin, who was overwhelmed with his generosity and the value of an actor. 

Joywin further added, “There is one scene in the film where he is over the phone and there are no dialogues but his expressions are remarkable. I don’t think any actor in Goa would have been able to do it.”