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'Abhishek Bachchan's role has so much depth'

When one thinks of Ashish Vidhyarthi, a dark, brooding, sinister-looking man comes to mind. He looks like someone who would get tremendous pleasure in torturing or frightening the daylights out of you.

At least, that how most of his roles portray him.

Ashish is not satisfied with being your regular villain. Which is why he has played everything -- from a psychopath in Ziddi to a paan-chewing politician in Mrityudaata. His latest role was that of a corrupt police officer in the blockbuster, Kaho Naa... Pyaar Hai.

This month, Ashish will be polishing his villainous skills in three movies -- Bichhoo, Joru Ka Ghulam and one of the most awaited movies of the year, Refugee.

Tell us about your role in Refugee?

Makkar, my character in Refugee, is a rural, slimy son of a bitch. He is heavily into human trafficking and has no qualms about what he doing. To him, money is all that matters in life.

If you just look at it as a role, then you probably will not see much, but it has been very well-etched by Mr J P Dutta. It is a very typical character and will remind you of a local Kanhaiya Lal.

How did you land this role?

Well, I have always wanted to work with Mr Dutta so I was doing the rounds. I guess he liked me for this particular role in Refugee. There was no screen test involved. He just called me up one day and told me I had the role.

Tell us your most memorable moment during the filming of Refugee?

Well, we were going to Lakhpat at around six in the morning. There was an entire entourage of people so we had many cars. At around 8:30, the car I was in reached this small dhaba owned by a Mr Sharmaji. We decided to halt there for breakfast. So, at around 10 in the morning, we all ate jawar ki roti with safed makhan and daal. And, all the time, we were worried that we would be late for the shoot and Mr Dutta would be wild at us.

If you could choose another role from Refugee, what would it be?

Hmm, let me see. I think the role of the refugee himself, the one played by Abhishek Bachchan, is terrific. It is so well-etched out and has so much depth. From an actor's point of view, even Kareena's character is wonderful and has many shades to it.

What do you think of Abhishek and Kareena?

Well, contrary to popular belief, this movie is not made like a launch film for the two of them. Mr Dutta has done complete justice to even the minutest of roles. He has just narrated a story the way it should be told. As far as acting goes, I haven't seen much of Abhishek or Kareena acting. But, whatever little I've seen, they seem as vulnerable as the characters they are supposed to portray.

Ashish Vidhyarthi spoke to Priyanka Bhattacharya.