Yash Shetty: I am an actor, not a hero

Yash Shetty enjoys portraying characters in contrast to his real-life personality. A soft-spoken person in nature, Yash rose to fame after his performance as Aghora in Jwalantham. He has since played mostly negative roles in over 30 films.  

At the same time, he is known for his supporting acts in films like Soojidaara, and Dharani Mandala Madyadolage. “My liking towards negative roles began when I studied at the National School of Drama. While performing in plays, I felt that, unlike positive characters, negative roles enable you to bring out a variety of emotions,” says Yash Shetty, who is a big fan of versatile actors like Vajramuni and Prakash Raj. “Career-wise, I follow Prakash Raj. He is a classic example of an actor who is famous for not just playing a villain, but a doting family member and friend too. He can fit in any role, and in my mind, I am more an actor and not a hero, which allows me to be versatile.”

Yash will be yet again seen in a negative shade in the upcoming Dhananjay-starrer Once Upon a Time in Jamaligudda, which is directed by Kushal Gowda. According to Yash, the makers who wanted a weird look and behaviour for the negative character had blocked one of his eyes with the white lens, and the actor shot all his portions with just one eye open. “These are the kind of challenges we get when we play a negative role. People will fall in love with my character in Jamaligudda,” says Yash.

According to the actor, there are only a few filmmakers who give equal importance to sketching a proper arc for the antagonist. “The directors of my upcoming films like Jamaligudda, Gowli, Dhairyam Sarvatra Sadhanam, and Ashoka Blade provided me with scripts two months ahead of the shoot. This allowed me to work on my character. However, there are times when I just go on the sets, do just stunts for 12-odd days, and come back home. I’m just glad that we will never have a dearth of negative characters, and we can choose to prioritise what works best for us,” signs off Yash.