Diganth: From darling to daring

He’s proven his mettle as a lover, but now Diganth wants to be a fighter. The Pancha Rangi actor, who is known for his loverboy roles, wants to shed that image and become known as an action star.
Since I’m known for my loverboy image, I get offered films in which I have to play either a talkative, soft-spoken or innocent, charming guy. But that’s not enough for me.I want to have some action scenes in my films. I would like to have a mass hero image,” Diganth tells BT.
However, he knows that the image change won’t be as simple as having him brandish weapons on-screen. “People will never watch a movie because the hero uses weapons. The film should have a story and it has to be watchable,” explains Diganth, who has already started working towards his goal. “My friend Ragavendra has written a superb script that has lot of action sequences. I asked him to read it to producer Rockline Venkatesh, who was quite impressed with the story.
Since I have to honour an old commitment with Rockline, we’ve decided to use this script for my on-screen transformation to an action hero,” he says.
The actor, who’s currently in Mysore shooting for Parijatha, the Kannada remake of the Tamil hit Boss Engira Bhaskaran, denies rumours that he signs films solely for money. “When I’ve been offered good stories, I can’t let them go. In fact, I didn’t have dates for Parijatha, but since the script was so good, I adjusted my schedule for it. Though the film is a remake, the role was something different and that appealed to me,” says Diganth.
While on the subject of Parijatha, we ask Diganth about his relationship with his co-star in the film, Aindrita Ray. However, he maintains his single-status stance. “Many people ask me the same question. But my answer will always be the same. We are best friends and, as of now, nothing more than that,” he says, adding, “I would rather love my work than love a girl. For that matter, my family is not forcing me to get married. So I’m very cool about it.”
Contributed by Mahesh H