Was looking for something with different shades: Mohit Raina on playing negative role

Time of India

17-06-2025

(Picture Courtesy: Facebook)
Actor
Mohit Raina
, best known for TV show "Devon Ke Dev... Mahadev" and films such as "Shiddat" and "Uri: The Surgical Strike", says he was eager to break out of good guy roles and that's when "Kankhajura" came his way.
Raina essays the antagonist Max in the SonyLIV series, directed by Chandan Arora. It also stars Roshan Mathew.
"I was deliberately not taking up anything else because I wanted to experiment. And that's the time when this opportunity came to me and I just grabbed it. I really didn't have to think even for once whether I should do it or not. So everything fell in place for me because I was looking for something that has different shades," the actor told PTI in an interview.
Asked if playing a negative role came with any challenges, Raina said it was just like any other project.
"But yes, it requires some kind of homework and preparation. A little more than what you would usually do because that's something that you are playing for the first time. I don't have a habit of watching the monitor while working.
"In this case, I would really look at my director twice or I would go and watch it to understand whether I have done the right thing, or we are going towards the same alignment that we thought about this character on paper...
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Because what is there on paper and actually doing it while working, is very different," he said.
Raina rose to fame with "Devon Ke Dev... Mahadev", where he essayed the role of Lord Shiva. The series ran between 2011 and 2013.
He also portrayed Shiva in the 2013 series "Mahabharat". But the actor is done with mythological characters, at least for now. "I don't think I would want to go that route right now."
However, he wishes to step into the shoes of a historical figure in the future.
"If given an opportunity, I would want to play a historical figure because it's been really long. I have not done anything historical. So...maybe someday, some historical part comes my way."
The "Uri" actor also expressed his eagerness to explore the comedy genre.
"Comedy is something that I really want to do right now. So, I think comedy is something that I want to do," he said.
Raina is happy with the way audiences have received "Kankhajura", which is the Hindi adaptation of critically-acclaimed Israeli drama series "Magpie" (2019).
Calling Mathew a "fantastic actor", Raina said he had a great experience working with him and has followed his work before.
"I think Roshan is one of the most secure actors that I have met in my life. Usually, a two-character thing can become a little tricky to play with. I have followed his work earlier, 'Parasite' and other series and other movies, a couple of them in Malayalam also. I think he was a fantastic actor," he said.
Following years of television and films, Raina made his OTT debut in 2019 with the drama series "Bhaukaal". The actor said the transition to streaming space was smooth.
"I think I was fortunate enough that the makers were ready to work with me and they wanted to work with me. They had trust and faith. It was a very smooth transition and a very smooth platform for me."