Mahabharat fame Nitish Bharadwaj calls success of Ranbir Kapoor's Animal 'worrisome': 'I could not sit beyond the...'

Nitesh Bhardwaj is a versatile actor known for his portrayal of iconic characters in movies and shows. In the ever-changing entertainment industry, veteran actor Nitesh Bhardwaj’s name always evokes nostalgia and reverence, given his outstanding contribution to the industry and cinema. The 60-year-old actor is best known for his role as Lord Krishna in B.R. Chopra’s television series Mahabharat, telecasted on Doordarshan as well as for his portrayal of Lord Vishnu and several avatars of Lord Vishnu in some of Chopra’s other famous works such as Vishnu Puran.

In an exclusive interview with ETimes, the senior actor talked about his deep connection with divine roles and his take on modern-day cinema and the highly-controversial film Animal starring Ranbir Kapoor. Speaking about his love for divine characters, Nitesh shared, “Lord Krishna and Bhagwan Parshuram are the characters I felt most connected to.”

Nitesh, who has played mythological characters with conviction, also shared his views on how violent films are setting the trend in the present scene. With filmmakers bringing stories that are no longer ‘simpler’ and wowing viewers with their nuanced approach to storytelling, the way we are perceiving Cinema is rapidly changing.

Ranbir Kapoor, Rashmika Mandanna’s Animal, directed by Sandeep Reddy Vanga, has never not been in the news. From people calling it ‘misogynistic’ to showcasing ‘women in poor light’, a lot has been said and written about the film. The movie is a simple tale of a man, Ranvijay, who goes on a rampage killing after enemies try to kill his father.

Discussing the trend of violent films like Ranbir Kapoor’s Animal, Nitesh expressed his concern and said, “Action can be in Veer Rasa too but the film is an expression of Bibhastsa Rasa. In action as well as dialogues and behaviour. I would be worried if more such films are made and they are successful. I could not sit beyond the interval, in spite of being an ardent fan of Ranbir’s acting prowess.”

Talking about the use of cuss words in films and shows, Nitesh opined, “I think this is where I would link it to OTT productions’ continuous use of cuss words in web series over the years that has kind of legitimised the Vikriti in man and the audience seems to be enjoying it now because they are desensitised to its impact then it will soon show its effects elsewhere in the society.”

While movie’s director Sandeep Reddy Vanga is being criticised for making a film that showcases ‘toxic masculinity’, film actress Rashmika Mandanna was recently seen praising the filmmaker. In her latest interaction with Pinkvilla, Rashmika while praising Vanga said, “The man functions differently. I don’t know how he thinks, what he eats, or what he does. But with Animal you saw ‘Oh, this is what the audience like, this is what we like showing the audience, this is the story that we want to maintain’. Now, we have the whole universe. We can play around with whatever we want with Animal Park. So, it’s exciting,” further dropping a hint about the film’s sequel.