Bollywood villain Raza Murad to play emotional Sikh on TV

After portraying negative characters in Bollywood for over three decades, noted actor Raza Murad will now be seen playing a pious Sikh in a new TV series "Meet Mila De Rabba". "For me 'Meet Mila De Rabba' is a very important project since it will break my on-screen villainous image and prove my versatility as an actor," Raza told over phone from Mumbai. "The serial is bound to do well since it's a fresh story, very emotional and touching and entails characters with different shades," he added. Raza started his career way back in the mid-1960s and since then has worked in over 400 films including hits like "Prem Rog", "Ram Teri Ganga Maili", "Ram Lakhan" and "Kala Bazar", to name a few. He was also associated with a few TV shows in the past. "Meet Mila De Rabba" is about a young Punjabi girl's poignant love story and highlights the trials of the bubbly girl who happily accepts her fate, simply to please her family and society. The show goes on air Nov 3 on Sony entertainment channel. In the serial, Raza plays the role of Gyaniji, who moves out of his village in Punjab to Delhi to build his fortune but always misses his hometown. His character in the show has an emotional streak to it, something the actor has been looking for in a role. "I always wanted to do an emotional role but was rejected a couple of times because the directors felt that I have always done negative roles and so I wouldn't fit the bill. That was dejecting. So when I was offered this show, I readily agreed to it," Raza said. As for his Bollywood career, Raza was last seen in Ashutosh Gowarikar's period drama "Jodhaa Akbar". After acting in the epic romance, he was busy dabbling in regional cinema. "All this while when I was not seen in Hindi films, I did a lot of regional cinema. I was a part of various Gujarati, Punjabi and Bhojpuri films. "At the same time I wasn't in favour of playing second fiddle to anyone on the small screen even though I have played supporting roles in films. So I was waiting for something that was worth taking up," he added. The veteran actor feels that Bollywood has undergone a "complete transformation" since the time he entered the film industry, especially the villains. "The traditional villain has died a natural death. Today even a hero can portray a negative character. There are no lines drawn. The scope for actors like me has condensed," he said.

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