‘They See Me As A Villain’

‘I
want
to
break
the
notion
that
models
can’t
act.’

Rohman
Shawl
is
probably
best
known
for
being
Sushmita
Sen’s
off-and-on
boyfriend.

But
there’s
more
to
him.

The
actor
made
his
movie
debut
in

Amaran,
playing
against
type
as
a
terrorist
with
terrifying
menace.

The
Tamil
film,
starring
Sivakarthikeyan
and
Sai
Pallavi,
became
a
blockbuster
and
Rohman’s
chilling
act
was
praised
as
well.

“My
personal
life
has
been
talked
about
for
so
many
years,
and
it’s
okay.
That
is
also
a
part
of
me.
But
after
the
films,
people
have
only
talked
about
my
work,”
Rohman
tells

Mayur
Sanap/Rediff.com.

The
terrorist
you
play
in

Amaran
is
so
different
from
your
sweet,
affable
personality.

When
you
get
something
that
is
totally
opposite
of
your
real
self,
that
really
challenges
you
as
an
actor.

When
(Director)
Rajkumar
Periasamy
approached
me
and
said
it
was
an
antagonist,
I
was
like,
‘Wow,
how
do
you
even
see
that
in
me?’

I
generally
don’t
get
that
from
people.

I
only
get
these
cute
little
roles,
you
know,
the
nice
guy,
the
lovable
guy.

I
did

Amaran
only
because
of
the
conviction
that
person
had
in
me.

 

When
you
play
such
an
intensely
negative
character,
does
it
mess
your
mind?

To
a
point,
yes.

Thankfully,
because
I
lead
my
life
assertively,
I’m
very
connected
with
myself.

The
moment
it
starts
happening,
you
recognise
that
and
disconnect.

I’ll
give
you
one
example:
You
remember
the
scene
when
I
put
fire
on
these
vote
banks?
So,
there
was
a
part
where
this
guy
gets
burnt.
He
was
a
stunt
man,
and
he
was
getting
burnt.
He
said
cut.
They
came
and
started
putting
out
the
fire.

I
was
standing
there
as
Asif
Wani
and
enjoying
it,
even
after
the
director
called
cut.

Someone
came
and
said,
‘Rohmanbhai‘,
and
that’s
when
I
snapped
out.

I
realised
that
this
is
getting
out
of
hand
and
I
started
slowly
disconnecting
from
it.

See,
when
you’re
in
that
zone,
in
that
real
environment,
you
get
into
it.

Thankfully,
because
I
know
myself,
I
switched
off
and
then
made
sure
I
didn’t
get
too
deep
into
it.

Did
you
worry
that
people
might
stereotype
you
in
negative
roles
after
this?

Initially,
when
I
was
doing
this
film,
I
did
not
take
any
other
work.

It
did
occur
me
that
what
if
this
thing
didn’t
work
or
what
if
it
worked
and
I
got
only
negative
roles?

But
I
made
peace
with
it.

It’s
fine,
because
at
the
end
of
the
day,
I
want
to
work.

You
establish
yourself
as
an
actor
because
you
do
the
opposite
of
what
you
are
in
your
real
life.

I’ve
already
started
getting
different
roles.
Now
they
see
me
as
a
villain,
as
a
good
boy…

I
think
the
industry
has
changed.
I
see
that
change,
and
I
am
happy
that
it
is
happening
when
I
am
there.

You
are
playing
a
nemesis
to
Sivakarthikeyan
in
this
film.
How
was
your
equation
with
him
off
camera?

I
met
Siva
sir
for
the
first
time
in
a
workshop
with
Atul
Mongia.

I
just
knew
that
he
was
a
big
star
then.

So
you’re
expecting
a
big
star
to
come
in
but
he
walked
in
so
easily.
He
didn’t
have
any
airs.

So
sweet,
so
calm,
so
quiet.

We
did
the
whole
process
with
Atul
Mongia
and
then
directly
I
saw
him
on
set
next.

There’s
this
ambush
attack
scene
that
we
were
shooting
together.

I
was
doing
my
scene
and
then
somebody
called
my
name.
I
was
like,
who’s
this
guy
in
this
army
uniform?

I
went
closer
and
saw
it
was
Siva
sir.

It
was
a
magical
transformation,
from
what
I
saw
in
the
workshop
to
what
he
was
pulling
off
there.

I
couldn’t
recognise
him.
That’s
a
lot
of
hard
work
from
the
actor
and
the
director.

It
was
magical
to
see
what

Amaran
finally
became.

They
are
pretty
nice
people,
including
Bhuvan
(Arora,
co-star).
He
is
an
amazing
actor.
So
yeah,
it
was
a
great
experience.

Did
you
get
a
chance
to
meet
Kamal
Haasan,
the
producer?

No,
that
is
my
only
regret.

Whenever
he
was
on
set,
I
wasn’t.
I
haven’t
been
able
to
go
to
Tamil
Nadu
after
that.

But
that
is
on
my
wishlist.

But
he
did
appreciate
my
work
through
our
director.

When
we
were
shooting,
Mr
Rajkumar
told
me
that
Kamal
sir
really
liked
your
work.
So
it
was
a
boost
because
you
have
the
validation
of
your
producer
and
he’s
one
of
the
biggest
actors
in
the
country.

From
playing
a
terrorist
to
becoming
an
army
officer
in

Azadi,
your
short
film.
Are
you
deliberately
choosing
projects
that
revolve
around
the
Indian
Army?

(Laughs)
I
don’t
know.

I
think
it
started
with
a
music
video
that
I
had
done;
I
had
played
an
army
officer
in
that.

I
think
people
started
kind
of
getting
that,
you
know,
I
look
good
in
a
uniform.

I
connect
to
that
feeling
because
you
want
to
serve
your
country
in
any
way.

So
I
just
can’t
say
no
to
the
charm
of
the
uniform.

Azadi
was
such
a
beautiful
story.
It’s
30-35
minutes
long
but
showcases
so
many
emotions.
This
is
the
first
time
somebody
is
talking
about
the
J&K
police.

Whenever
we
talk
about
Kashmir,
we
are
either
talking
about
the
people
or
the
army.
Nobody
talks
about
the
J&K
police,
who
have
both
parties
blaming
them.

Because
the
army
says,
oh,
you’re
with
the
terrorism
of
the
Kashmir
side.
The
Kashmir
people
say
otherwise.
So
they’re
stuck
in
between.

This
film
is
a
decent
attempt
by
my
director,
Akhil
Abrol,
to
bring
light
to
their
situation.
Because
they’re
stuck,
nobody’s
with
them.
They’re
on
their
own
and
still
trying
their
best
to
serve
the
country.

I
believe

Azadi
was
also
shot
in
the
Kashmir
Valley
just
like

Amaran.

Azadi
was
mostly
shot
in
Bhaderwah,
which
is
more
towards
the
Jammu
side.

Amaran
was
done
in
Srinagar.

What
were
your
realisations
about
Kashmir
and
its
people?

Kashmir
is
such
a
beautiful
place
but
the
only
thing
you
realise
is,
‘Beauty
is
a
curse.’
Because
of
the
entire
situation,
then
we
have
different
radical
groups
claiming
it
to
be
theirs.

The
people
are
so
welcoming,
so
nice.
They
will
come
out
and
help
you.

We
needed
a
crowd,
and
we
called
these
people,
and
they
performed.

My
introduction
scene
has
2,000-3,000
people.
They
weren’t
actors
but
when
I
was
standing
there,
giving
those
chants,
they
were
in
union
with
me.
That
elevates
you
as
an
actor
because
you’re
getting
that
energy
from
them.
I
could
perform
that
scene
so
well
because
of
these
people.

We
know
little
about
your
personal
journey.
Where
do
you
come
from?

I
am
a
Kashmiri,
raised
in
Nainital.

But
I
have
never
been
connected
to
the
Kashmir
side;
I’ve
always
told
everybody
that
I’m
a

pahadi
from
Nainital.

How
did
you
get
into
showbiz?

I
was
pursuing
engineering
in
Dehradun.

Friends
suggested
that
I
try
modeling.
So
I
tried
it
and
made
it
quite
well
in
the
modeling
industry.
I’ve
been
modeling
since
2013.

People
suggested
I
go
to
Bombay.

When
I
came
here,
I
auditioned
for
a
big
film.
I
got
in
but
it
didn’t
work
out.

That
broke
my
heart
and
I
stayed
away
from
acting
till
2021.

Then
I
was
approached
for

Azadi.
We
shot
in
2022
but
it
released
only
now.

Why
did
it
take
you
so
long
to
become
an
actor?

I
was
not
somebody
who
really
wanted
to
be
an
actor.

Deep
down,
I
felt
that
that
models
cannot
be
actors.
That
was
always
said
in
the
fraternity
and
you
start
believing
it.

But
when
you
switch,
you
switch.

After

Azadi
I
did

My
Father’s
Doctor.

With
each
film,
my
confidence
grew.

I
want
to
break
the
notion
that
models
can’t
act.

When
you’re
trying
to
establish
yourself
as
a
serious
actor,
does
it
bother
you
when
the
news
about
your
personal
life
takes
precedence?

My
personal
life
has
been
talked
about
for
so
many
years,
and
it’s
okay.
That
is
also
a
part
of
me.

But
after
the
films,
people
have
only
talked
about
my
work.