Vikrant Massey on Haseen Dillruba: "I think everyone loves flawed characters...this is a fresh thing"

Everyone has grey areas and cinema today is a reflection of that with filmmakers choosing realism in their stories, says actor Vikrant Massey, who is confident that audiences will love "Haseen Dilruba", a romantic thriller set in a small town. The film, which released on Netflix on Friday, features Massey as Rishu, an introvert engineer who falls for a feisty woman but their marriage runs into trouble with the entry of another man. Directed by "Hasee Toh Phasee" fame Vinil Mathew, the film also stars Taapsee Pannu and Harshvardhan Rane in lead roles.

Massey said all the three characters in the film are people with strong views.

"We all have many faces and operate on different levels on a daily basis. We are living in a society with some kind of a mask and that reflects in these characters as well. We see this reflected in cinema because people have started to own up to reality a little bit more. This is why there is far more realism in the stories we tell," the actor told PTI in an interview. "I think everyone loves flawed characters. This is a fresh thing that you are getting to see in films, a lot of grey characters, which people are actually liking," he added.

The actor, best known for his roles in "Lootera", "A Death in the Gunj" and "Chhapaak", said he loved the script as he generally does not get characters like Rishu to play.

"There are very few films that are made in the love story-thriller space. It felt like a good opportunity because I don't get such scripts generally. I liked the world it was set in and Vinil and Taapsee were already a part of it. So it gave me a chance to work with incredible artistes and see how I can challenge myself better," he said.

Starting from "Balika Vadhu" on television to breaking into films with "Lootera", Massey has built a career out of critically-acclaimed turns in films and on OTT platforms where he starred in "Criminal Justice", Broken But Beautiful" and crime series "Mirzapur. "Haseen Dilruba" is the actor's fourth movie release on Netflix after "Cargo", "Dolly Kitty Aur Woh Chamakte Sitare" and "Ginny Weds Sunny".

Massey said he is not someone to "think too much ahead" in his career but has been lucky with the work that has come his way. The actor said he aims to work on good stories featuring relatable characters.

"I want to be a part of good stories and characters, something that people can carry home with them. They have a relativity quotient so that people can spot themselves or someone familiar in my stories or characterization. Even if I manage to do half of that, I will consider myself successful," he said.