Vijender Singh won’t take up any role where he is shown as a wrestler

Having given Bollywood another shot after the long hap that followed his 2014 debut Fugly, Indian boxer-actor Vijender Singh wants to steer away from any label or stereotypes and stay focused on his journey as an actor. That shows in his decision to play the antagonist opposite Salman Khan in Kisi Ka Bhai Kisi Ki Jaan.

“I am not thinking about people looking at me as a hero or a villain. It is all about acting. It doesn’t matter to me how they look at me, whether it is in a positive light or negative light,” Singh tells us, adding if a role allows him to explore his craft as an actor, he would take it and not care about whether what it is positive or a negative character.

The 37-year-old Olympic medallist goes on to add, “In my head, I am not stuck to the role of a hero. In a story, there are villains too, and other people too, and you need equally good acting skills to portray any of those. Hero ke liye line lambi hoti hai, dosre logon ko play karne ka bhi mauka milna chahiye.”

That being said, Singh is pretty sure that his acting decisions are not going to hamper the heroic image he has made for his work in the world of sports.

“There, I will always remain a hero. I know that and so does the world,” he continues, “My acting choices don’t matter in that sense. Now, people also need to know me as an actor, and see that I can play any character. It is not that I will be able to act when I get the role of the hero, villain bhi acting karte hain.”

Known for his boxing, Singh asserts that he is not willing to take up any role that requires him to do professional wrestling on screen. “I’m not playing any role where I’m shown as a wrestler. The whole world knows me as a wrestler. Now, boxing se hatke kuch dhikhana hai, and that’s why I am ready to take challenging roles in my second inning in films,” he says.

Having featured in two films so far, Singh reveals this journey has made him more patient. “During my last film, my patience level was really low. Now, I saw a change in myself and that I have got more patience in me. And that is required when you are working in this industry,” he wraps up.