Bobby Deol reflects on being repeatedly cast as a villain after Animal, Kanaguva and Daaku Maharaj, saying South filmmakers “want” him as the bad guy but he rejects roles whose character arc he doesn’t enjoy. He insists his antagonists must feel organic, not senseless or caricatureish, and criticises producers who assume simply “making him the villain” will guarantee success.
In recent years, Bobby Deol has led a lineup of films where he has played the antagonist. From Animal (2023) to Kanguva (2024) to Daaku Maharaaj (2025), the actor's range as the bad guy has been phenomenal. But, it comes with its own challenges, especially in an industry that prefers the comfort of casting actors in roles audiences are used to seeing them in.
In an exclusive conversation with The Hollywood Reporter India, Deol talks about being boxed into 'bad guy' roles, especially in the South, rejecting those he doesn't want to play and where he draws the line when portraying the anti-hero on screen.
Asked if he is worried about being typecast in the South, Deol says, "They would and that's what they want.” The actor admits that though he has been offered some interesting roles, he did not pursue them as they were all for the antagonist. "I didn't enjoy the way the graph was,” he adds.
Though Deol's occasional portrayal as the anti-hero has only been reinforced by the scripts he has received over the years, he has been clear about what he is and isn't willing to do on screen. "They can't be senseless," he affirms.
Referring to his role in the 2020 series Aashram, Deol explains that because his character, Baba Nirala—the self-proclaimed, scheming godman—was "organic to the script," he didn't question the way he was asked to play it. "But, If you come with characters and force things into it just for the audience's excitement, I won't do it. That's something I have never tried to do."
Deol also expresses that he feels lucky with the characters he has been playing because they don't feel forced. "I can't play characters which are caricatureish," he says.
"Everyone thinks 'just make him the villain' and everything will work out. But that's now how it works," says the actor, finding this to be the case especially among first-time producers. "Everyone wants to try their luck."
The actor was most recently seen alongside Alia Bhatt, Sharvari and Anil Kapoor in Alpha and in Anurag Kashyap's Bandar.