Yashwanth Shetty wants to be a villain with a difference

A National School of Drama alumnus who taught acting in Mumbai, Udupi lad Yashwanth Shetty has steadily been making inroads in Kannada cinema since his breakthrough role in Jwalantham. “I played the villain in Jwalantham, a character that gave me a good break in the Kannada film industry. There has been no looking back since then and I have been playing baddie in many films,” says Yashwanth.
Up next, he has director Guru Deshpande’s Samhaara, in which he plays a negative character, albeit one with a twist.“This is my second film with Guru, after John Jani Janardhan. In our first film together I was the villain, but Guru insisted that I emote with my eyes and not so much with machismo. In Samhaara also, he has given me a different characterization. I play Maanja, who comes across as an innocent fellow, but is actually very cunning. He is forever plotting and planning and his character leads to a major surprise element in the end of the tale. I share screen space mostly with Hariprriya, who is also in a negative shade,” says the actor.
Interestingly, in his upcoming projects, Yashwanth is doing a mix of hero, villain and supporting cast characters. In fact, in Sooji Dhara, he is paired with Hariprriya, while he is the antagonist in Atharva and a few others. “I also play a pivotal role in the upcoming Nirup Bandari and Radhika Pandit film,” he says.
And what has Yashwanth excited about each of these roles is the diversity in them. “Even when playing baddie, filmmakers have not typecast me,” he signs off.