Exclusive|Amrish Puri's grandson Vardhaan Puri on doing negative roles: My affinity towards the dark spaces is really high

Amrish Puri's grandson Vardhaan Puri with director Mahesh Bhatt

Bollywood actor Vardhaan Puri, who was recently seen in Vikram Bhatt-directed thriller horror film 'Bloody Ishq', spoke at length about how his grandfather, the legendary Amrish Puri, is his guiding light.

In an exclusive conversation with MoneyControl, Vardhaan said that when he made his debut in the industry, his granddad wasn't around physically, but he could always feel his presence.

On being asked whether he would like to play negative roles like his granddad Amrish Puri, Vardhaan said his 'affinity towards the dark spaces, the complex characters, the nuanced characters is really high.'

Excerpts from the interview:

On being the grandson of Amrish Puri

When I decided to get into films, my grandfather wasn't around physically, but definitely in terms of the upbringing I've got in terms of, the way he looked at the cinema, the cine education I got at home, all the conversations we had around cinema performance. Of course, they get embedded in your soul, and they help you as an artist, as an actor. So definitely, he might not be there with me physically, but I can always feel his presence, his looming presence. He is someone I consider my God. He's always taking care of me, and right now he's sitting next to me, and I can feel his warmth. I can feel his love.

Does he ever want to do negative roles like granddad Amrish Puri?

As excited as I am about positive roles, I am equally excited, if not more, about negative roles because I think the scope one has to perform and the kind of range you can show as an actor in negative roles is phenomenal. And, of course, coming from a family that has become what it is due to really strong negative roles, my affinity towards the dark spaces, the complex characters, and the nuanced characters is really high. I get magnetized towards anything that's not typically cookie-cutter positive-plain roles. So definitely, yeah, I would love to explore a lot of that as well.

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On his character in Bloody Ishq

Definitely, it is a very complex character. I'm not giving out any spoilers. Definitely not. We're not allowed. Definitely, yes. I would like you to watch the film, yeah. Then maybe we can have a conversation later and you tell me what he felt.

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Amrish Puri played iconic roles as Mocambo in Mr. India, Chuniya Seth in Saudagar, Barrister Indrajit Chaddha in Damini, and the deadly Bishambhar Nath in Ram Lakhan from the long list of his roles.

Talking about Vardhaan, he made his debut in 2019 with Yeh Saali Aashiqui, and then he was seen in Aseq and Dashmi in 2023. His latest film, Bloody Ishq, was released on Hotstar recently.