For an actor who has often been celebrated as the face of content-driven cinema, Raj B Shetty has never chased comfort. Whether it is a critically acclaimed drama, a full-blown comedy, or the common man’s role in 45, Raj has enjoyed becoming the face of sharply written characters. Now, with Landlord, he steps into an antagonist’s space in Kannada for the first time, after exploring a negative shade earlier in Malayalam cinema with Turbo.
Is this a process of trial and error to discover what suits him best? Raj is quick to reject the idea. “There is no one character that fits a certain actor if he is truly exploring. Otherwise, I could have taken up a regular job. The reason to come to the cinema is to try something new and to experiment, whether as a director or as an actor. I don’t like touching the same genre again and again. Even as an actor, that gives me a kick,” he says.
For someone who is both a storyteller and performer, what draws him towards certain genres or characters, especially a negative shade like the ruler in Landlord? “The power one wants to hold in society, in a family, or even through caste, that ruler exists in everyone in some form. It is something we see around us all the time, and I felt it was interesting to tell that side of the story. Playing an antagonist is fun because society always tries to keep us within morality. When you play a villain, you have a certain freedom, and it is fun. Only in real life should we not be that person,” he says.
For Raj, taking on such roles is not about shock value, but about adding variety to his own filmography. “Playing this shade of me was an experiment, and in a way, I can contribute to cinema by offering varied characters,” he says.
The film’s tagline, Edu Alidavara Kathyala, Alidu Ulidavara Kathe (Stories of the defeated and survivor tales), resonates deeply with Raj’s own philosophy about talent and opportunity. “According to nature, we should encourage skill. When we go for surgery, we don’t go to a doctor who has more money; we go to a good doctor. Likewise, in cinema, we should not go with preoccupied notions. It should not be about background or labels, but about skill,” he explains. “When I chose to work with Jadeshaa, I did not look at where he comes from or what he earns. I saw his writing. That is important to me. Everyone is a learning actor, including me.”
Raj also speaks about the physical transformation and styling choices that went into shaping the antagonist. “The ruler’s character design needed a certain performance, and this look helped me perform. When I saw myself in the mirror, I felt different. You can play a negative role by smoking or chewing beeda, but that has its own restrictions. So you need other tools, like body language and mannerisms, to play a villain. The look helps you control the space and makes the performance more convincing,” he explains.
Despite his growing recognition, Raj is consciously moving away from familiar working circles and stepping out of his comfort zone, including his first collaboration with Vijay Kumar. “It was Gopal Krishna Deshpande who always spoke highly of Vijay, and I was curious to meet him. When I met Vijay, we discussed cinema, and I liked his behaviour. But honestly, I mainly choose films based on the director,” says Raj, adding that trust in the filmmaker is central to his decision-making. “Jadeshaa deserves success. Going by his previous films, he has come up with a good story, and I want him to win. When a director wins, the film wins, and all of us win.”
As Raj continues to move between acting and directing, between comedy and conflict, one thing remains consistent: his refusal to settle into predictability. “Today, even the genre is new for me. I don’t want to repeat genres, and I don’t want to repeat characters. That is the only way I feel alive in cinema,” he says.