Akhil Akkineni-starrer Agent, a highly-anticipated film, hit theatres today. Ahead of the film’s release, The Pioneer interacted with actor Vikramjeet Virk on Thursday, who will be seen playing an intense character named Deva, over a quick fun call, to give you some exclusive details about the film and his character.
Tejal Sinha
It wouldn’t be wrong to say that actor Vikramjeet Virk has been one of the go-to actor when it comes to playing any anti-hero character. Why not? With such an ace, he nails all of them.
The Punjab da Munda began his career in the fashion world as his first step and later bagged his first assignment with a renowned director, Ashutosh Gowarikar, in Khelein hum jee jaan sey in which he played the negative role of a British police officer named Asanullah Khan. He later marked his Tollywood debut with Mohanlal in Casanovva, directed by Rosshan Andrrew, and went on to bag some amazing projects, namely Heart Attack and Bhimavaram Bullodu, where he played the characters Makarand Kamatti and Vikram, respectively. He has been cast in other Telugu films such as Rudhramadevi as King Mahadeva Nayakudu, Sher as Pappi, Dictator as Vicky Bhai, Paisa Vasool as Bob Marley and Amar Akbar Anthony as Vikram Talwar. Even in Bollywood, he was seen alongside Sushant Singh Rajput and Jacqueline Fernandez in Drive.
All of them being baddies, Vikramjeet will once again be seen playing a negative character in Agent. The Pioneer quickly rang a call to the actor to know more about his character Deva, playing negative characters, and more.
“Deva is an amazing character that I’ve played so far in my career,” enthused Vikramjeet, who has played several negative characters but finds Deva the most challenging one. “Just like how Ajay Devgn is in real life, he doesn’t really talk much but makes sure he keeps doing his work. The same is true with Deva. He is this intense character who doesn’t really talk much, but when it comes to something special that is to be done, Deva comes in,” he shared about his role in Agent.
Deva is one of the most significant characters in the film. However, ironically, he doesn’t have to say many dialogues. But that’s something that the actor loves about Deva. “I’m an actor who doesn’t believe in saying so many dialogues. I believe in expressing myself through my eyes and body language. I like these kinds of characters. To date, I haven’t really gotten any chance to play such a character, but with Deva, I am very less involved with the dialogue. Though the theme focuses on Deva, I still have very little to say. Deva is like you ask a question, and he’ll reply with a yes or no. I was hoping to get something like this, and luckily I got it in Agent.”
Talking about his camaraderie with director Surender Reddy and the cast, the ‘Best Khalnayak’ awardee shared, “Surender Reddy is an amazing person to work with. He is very clear about what he wants, and he really helped me build Deva, as you’ll see in the movie. He is one of the hard-working directors who, till the time they don’t get what they want, keep working hard.”
He goes on to reveal that in one of the sequences that he had with Dino Morea, in order to get the perfect shot, the helmer had to take almost 6 to 7 takes. “I was working according to the character of Deva, but in that particular scene, Surender wanted in a very different mood and in a very different way. As an actor, you always play close to the character that you’re playing. You cannot just leave the character and play something else for a particular scene. So when he was narrating me, I was shifting very little, so until the time he got it, he made me do several takes. He took almost 6 to 7 takes. I really loved working with him because I believe in those kinds of people who are really hardworking and who really take it out when they want something and they have something in mind.”
Vikramjeet will be seen sharing a couple of scenes with Akhil, and based on his experience working with him, he says Akhil is a cool guy and a ‘lambi race ka ghoda’ (someone who is going to stay here for long). Unfortunately, he did not get to share the screen with renowned actor Mammootty, but he did enjoy working with Raaz’s famed Dino Morea.
Looking back at his filmography, he has mostly played these bad boy and negative characters. He is actually known for his negative roles. It wouldn’t be wrong to say that he’s been the go-to actor for negative roles. He laughs out loud as he says, “I think we have that stereotypical image.
For instance, certain people who don’t look ruthless are ruthless in real life. Meanwhile, there are people who look very smart, charming, and good-looking, but at the same time, they are very bad with their behaviour. Sometimes it’s the opposite of how people see you. They see you as a negative character, and they’re like, “You look very negative”, but in real life as a human, the things that they’re doing are quite the opposite. As an actor, I don’t believe in that.
If an actor has a different craft, the actor will be able to really pull off any character that’s given to them.” Having mostly played anti-hero parts and being someone not really worried about being typecast, he said, “I make sure to look into how different this role is from the ones I’ve previously played and how different I can make this character. I want to have excitement every time I play a character. I want and will always make sure to look for a different kind of character.”
Vikramjeet will next be seen starring in Pawan Kalyan starrer Hari Hara Veera Mallu and 22 down south. He also has a few Punjabi films, including Mere Baba Nanak, which will be released on May 19, and a couple of online series, including one starring Raveena Tandon, a thriller web series on Disney + Hotstar that is a remake of the American drama Revenge.
Well, it is definitely safe to say that Vikramjeet is here to break the stereotype of playing negative characters.
