If you are a Bollywood junkie, you surely would know the common thread between recent films like 3G, Inkaar, Murder 3 and Race 2. And going one step further, would be able to connect upcoming film Nautanki Saala and Gunday to it. All these films have lead actors like John Abraham, Niel Nitin Mukesh, Arjun Rampal, Randeep Hooda, Ayushmann Khurana, Ranveer Singh portraying grey characters. “Playing Raavan’s character felt great. Theatre actors are used to playing different characters. Even Shah Rukh Khan played a grey character in Darr,” says Ayushmann Khurana about his role in upcoming Nautanki Saala. The idea of hero has swiftly changed over the last few years. Grey characters, identifiable with real life, are being played by top actors. “Throughout my career, majority of my characters are grey, veering towards dark, including my latest 3G. I find there is much more scope to portray such characters because they are layered. One can insert dynamic shades into them and present a completely different dimension to them,” says actor Niel Nitin Mukesh. Starting from Johnny Gaddar, his choice of films has greatly been deflected towards grey roles. Actor Amit Sadh, who has been appreciated for his role in the hit film, Kai Po Che, is looking forward to add a grey role to his kitty. “As a newbie in the industry, I am open to all kinds of roles that will let me show my talent. Grey characters have a certain charm to them. As an actor, I am sure it gives a high. I hope to play one in the near future,” he says. However, carving out a layered, grey character is not an easy job. The story needs to lend that scope. “For a story and scriptwriter, it is a challenging job to create a full-fledged grey character. It needs to have a natural progression. The twists and turns owing to this character in the plot should be nuanced and subtle. They require more thinking, than complete black or white characters,” says story writer Sanjay Chauhan. But what is it about such characters that make them acceptable and attractive Says trade analyst Komal Nahta, “A hero has always been supposed to be good. But it is exciting for the audience to witness them leave their conventional roles and take up something drastically different. They find it unpredictable and thus, derive pleasure. Of course, the director’s role is also equally important. He has to mete out a certain treatment to such characters.”
