Actor Milind Soman has portrayed many characters in his career. Kings, generals, or your friendly neighbourhood doctor, the actor has been cast in films across genres. But to the average Tamil film fan, Milind is often seen playing characters with negative shades. When asked about the kind of roles that he wants to play, Milind says, “I would love to do comedy, but nobody really casts me in such films.” The actor, who returned to Tamil projects after a long break in the 2021 film Doctor, recently appeared in the JioHotstar series, Muthu Engira Kaattaan, headlined by Vijay Sethupathi, and directed by Manikandan.

“What happened in Tamil, especially, was that I was offered very similar roles,” says Milind, who adds, “I really liked working on the first one, Pachaikili Muthucharam (2007), because the director was Gautham Vasudev Menon. But since the roles that followed were too similar, I stopped working on Tamil films for almost 10 years. When someone called me, I would tell them to offer a positive role unless the negative role was very interesting. So when Doctor (2021) came about, playing the role of Sivakarthikeyan’s mentor was very fun.”

Interestingly, in Muthu Engira Kaattaan, Milind essays the role of Sivendra Narottam Desai/Sivettan, a gangster and a mentor to Vijay Sethupathi’s Muthu. “I really liked the directors and producers when they came to meet me. Of course, when I listened to the story that started with the bodiless head of the lead actor, I was immediately hooked,” says Milind, adding, “For me, the character comes first, then the storyline, and then the people. If I feel I'm not going to be comfortable working with a certain set of people, then I will be less likely to do that project.”

Apart from Hindi and Tamil, Milind has been part of projects made in many other languages. But the actor admits that the typecasting is not just limited to his roles but also about how he looks. “I was approached once by a TV series, where they wanted me to play a king, and I rejected it. But to me, it was obvious they would want me for that role because I have a look that fits the character of a leader," says Milind, who points out that looks do add an extra flavour to his character. The actor also portrayed Saladin, the Sultan of Egypt and Syria in the 12th century, in the Swedish films Arn: Tempelriddaren (2007) and Arn: The Kingdom at Road's End (2008). “For Saladin, there was a battle look, but there was also another one when he meets the titular character, Arn, in an all-white costume. I also had long hair that reached my shoulders, so when the director saw me with the long hair and all white, he remarked that I looked like Jesus. This was very interesting as Saladin was the leader of the armies that fought against the Crusaders, and he loved that idea.”

In Muthu Engira Kaattaan, Sivettan is a gangster who tries to do good by his protégé, Muthu. While gangsters have been portrayed in various shades throughout Indian cinema, Milind Sivettan is depicted as having some redeeming qualities. “Sivettan might have done a lot of bad things in life, but we don’t dwell on them. While he is involved with the underworld, he wants to get out of it. He wants to repent and try to do better. As a father figure to Muthu, Sivettan shows a great deal of affection. This happens as the story is told from the perspective of a gangster, due to which you are able to understand his actions. You can show the worst people in history as victims,” says Milind, adding, “If we had portrayed him 25 years before the events shown in the series, we would have said nobody should be like this fellow.”

While Milind is widely known for his cinematic roles, he also has a background in modelling, notably appearing in the music video for Alisha Chinai’s ‘Made In India’. When asked if the extensive photoshoots, where the models have to change expressions beat by beat, helped him be a better actor, Milind says, “Some actors have a style of expressing more, and some are subtle with their performances. Even if you express less, you can still deliver the scene. Some people move more, and some move less. All that matters is the actor's style, and not their background. Look at Arjun Rampal, who started off as a model and became a National Award-winning actor.”

While the actor is very guarded about his upcoming works, especially in Tamil, he excitedly shares that he is in the process of confirming another project. But Milind is more open about venturing into a new zone in his career. “I might be doing a play this year or next year. I haven’t done a theatrical play in my life. But my part is very small. However, I find it extremely challenging, and there lies the fun.” When asked about the added challenge of having to continuously perform the same scenes as long as the run of the play is scheduled, he says, “You can have a stand-in. Even the lead actor can have a stand-in, as many unexpected problems can arise. But the lack of a retake option poses the greater challenge. Your delivery has to be as you want it. But as you perform the character many times, it becomes a part of you,” concludes the actor with energetic optimism.