‘Shah Rukh Khan Started As A Villain’

‘When
I
gave
the
audition
and
landed
the
role
of
the
villain
Fani,
I
felt
this
is
the
only
character
which
will
establish
me
as
an
actor
in
Indian
cinema.’

Raghav
Juyal‘s
birthday
on
July
10
was
extra
special:
It
came
right
after
his
feature
film



Kill
opened
to
critical
acclaim
in
theatres.

“My
mother
came
from
Dehradun,
and
we
quietly
checked
the
movie
theatres.
I
wore
a
hood
and
mask,”
he
tells

Subhash
K
Jha.

“When
I
went
to
a
theatre,
a
huge
crowd
came
out
from
a
screen.
When
my
mother
asked
which
movie
they
were
coming
out
of,
they
said,

Kill.
Inside,
from
the
last
row
to
the
first,
people
did
not
move
from
their
seats.
I
saw
my
action
scenes
with
the
audience.

“People
were
clapping
not
for
big
stars,
but
for
me.
I
was
drenched
in
tears.
It
is
reassuring
to
know
that
an
actor
like
me
from
the
outside
can
succeed.”

Raghav
is
enjoying
this
new
phase
in
his
career.

“Ours
is
a
small
budget
film.
There
is
no
item
number,
no
songs.
It
is
an
R-rated
film.
Despite
that,
people
are
giving
so
much
love
to
it,”
he
says.

“Lakshya
and
I
are
new
to
cinema,
and
we
are
very
happy.
On
my
birthday,
the
film
crossed
Rs
10
crore
(Rs
100
million).

“We
are
able
to
attract
the
public
with
our
film,
and
that
is
a
very
big
thing
for
me.
On
my
birthday,
my
biggest
gift
is
that
the
public
is
loving
this
film,
giving
love
through
word-of-mouth.
This
is
the
love
of
cinema.”

Raghav
has
been
excited
about

Kill
from
the
start.

“When
I
gave
the
audition
and
landed
the
role
of
the
villain
Fani,
I
felt
this
is
the
only
character
which
will
establish
me
as
an
actor
in
Indian
cinema.
I
had
an
intuition
that
this
role
means
something;
it
is
a
path-breaking
role.

“The
physical
preparation
took
nine
months.
But
more
than
physical,
I
did
mental
and
psychological
preparation.
(I
worked
on)
The
body
rhythm
of
this
character
and
the
Bihari
accent
because
I
am
from
Uttarakhand,
and
don’t
have
that
touch
of
eastern
UP.
It
took
me
about
two-and-a-half
months.

“I
must
have
read
the
script
at
least
a
hundred
times.
Every
time
I
read
the
script,
there
was
a
new
discovery
in
the
nuances
of
the
character,
in
the
behaviour…”

Raghav
rates
his

Kill
Director
Nikhil
Bhat
very
highly.

“Nikhil
sir
is
10
out
of
10.
He
did
not
stop
me
from
any
improvisations
that
I
made.
He
had
written
everything
in
detail,
and
made
the
text
so
strong.
I
would
like
to
work
with
him
again.”

Then
he
shares:
“A
Dharma
series
is
coming
in
August
and
by
the
end
of
August-September,
there
will
be
a
very
big
film.
I
have
a
very
interesting
character
in
it.
I
have
a
dance
number,
basically,
what
happens
in
Bollywood
commercial
films.”

Raghav
doesn’t
mind
starting
his
big
screen
journey
as
a
villain.

“Shah
Rukh
Khan
had
started
as
a
villain.
If
you
want
to
really
become
an
actor,
you
have
to
have
a
hold
on
your
craft.
You
need
to
work
through
it.
Some
take
longer,
some
take
less
time,
it
is
a
matter
of
luck.
But
one
should
not
stop
working
hard.

“It’s
been
14
years
since
I
came
here
to
become
a
background
dancer.
I
never
stopped
learning.
I
became
a
dancer,
choreographer,
then
I
did
some
hosting.
I
trained
in
acting
for
five-six
years,
gave
a
lot
of
auditions,
and
then
this
happened.”