Thakur Anoop Singh - Carving out alternative identities

Thakur Anoop Singh, who won acclaim for his performance as a psycho in Rogue, returns to Telugu cinema with Naa Peru Surya -- Naa Illu India which is set to release in Telugu, Tamil, Malayalam and Hindi on April 26. The actor plays a dreadful villain in the film directed by Vakkantham Vamsi, which features Allu Arjun in the lead.

"I play Sarath Kumar’s son Adi, a stylish, yet powerful villain in Naa Peru Surya. It's a full-length role and is undoubtedly one of the best characters I've portrayed so far. I must say it’s not a normal villain and Vamsi has given equal importance to my character as it will also contribute a lot to the story. I’m confident that the audience will enjoy seeing me in action dominating Allu Arjun’s character," says Anoop.

Anoop trained as a gymnast and went onto to win Mr. India (Silver), Mr. Asia (Bronze) and Mr. World (Gold) titles in Men's Fitness Physique categories before dabbling with films. He cherishes his experience working with Allu Arjun on the sets of Naa Peru Surya. "We've done gymnastic flips together on the sets. We hit it off really well. As a person, he is calm, grounded and is an amazing dancer. He has been a good support. It gives you a high if a big star like him compliments you for your work. Money and fame are secondary,  but such good words and encouragement mean a lot to me."

About working with director Vakkantham Vamsi, Anoop says, "Vamsi is an efficient director and he knows what he wants from everyone. He has a clear vision about each scene, how he wants to picturise it and its intensity."

Anoop, who has mainly played negative roles so far, is also craving an alternate identity. The 28-year-old actor is also making his Marathi debut as a hero with Bebhaan. "I have wrapped up the shoot and the post-production is underway. It’s an action-oriented action love story, which will be released in May. If everything goes as planned, the film will also be dubbed into Telugu."

He also plays the protagonist in Kannada director Sunil Kumar Desai’s Udgharsha. "It's a Telugu-Kannada bilingual and also has Sai Dhansika as the female lead. I've been shooting separately for the Kannada and Telugu versions. It’s a challenging role which requires me to be a little subtle with my expressions. As I play the hero, I have been involved in everything and also attended a workshop. However, I didn’t go for a makeover and appear as my usual self in the film."

He has also signed another Kannada film Yajamana, starring Darshan. "I will be seen as the main villain in this film. The principal shooting for it will commence later this month."