Not Your Regular Bollywood Guy

For actor Jaideep Ahlawat, the dream role is always a character away, and so is the opportunity to bring a memorable role on screen

- Jigar Shah

In the late ‘90s, Ashutosh Rana’s villainous portrayal in Dushman and Sangharsh scared the living daylights out of me. But, as we stepped into the new millennium, the character of the villain evolved, and Hindi cinema also started to change. Cut to 2013, In Vipul Shah’s film Commando - A One Man Army, Jaideep Ahlawat is cast in the role of AK-74. His menacing laugh, his opaque ‘white’ eyes, and unpredictable behaviour, reminded the audience of the ‘80s villains, who took pride in the role. While previous releases — Gangs of Wasseypur and Vishwaroopam — made the industry folks notice his talent, this role introduced Ahlawat to the masses.

But it was in 2018, when both the industry folks and the audience unanimously applauded his performance, in Raazi. Ahlawat says, “Raazi was like an explosion. It brought me into the limelight.” After the film, things began to change at a rapid speed for him. Ahlawat went on to work in various projects such as Lust Stories, Bard of Blood, and Baaghi 3. His latest web show, Paatal Lok, is garnering immense love across the board. People are already demanding its second season.

In Paatal Lok, Ahlawat plays Hathiram Chaudhary, a Delhi cop assigned to bring four attempted murderers to justice. This is the first time he is playing the lead in a web show. “It's a nice feeling. Usually, people offer you the same kind of roles that you've portrayed in the past. I also assumed that it will either be an important supporting role, or maybe the negative lead. But when I was told it's the lead role and I'm the hero of the show, I was grinning from ear to ear. When I read the script, my approach was very different,” he laughs.