Veteran actor Ashutosh Rana, celebrated for his unforgettable portrayals of intense antagonists and emotionally complex characters, offered a thought-provoking take on the shifting landscape of storytelling in Indian cinema at the trailer launch of his upcoming film Heer Express.
When asked why traditional villainous roles seem to be vanishing from modern films and why actors often gravitate toward positive characters, Rana drew from mythology and philosophy to explain the natural evolution of narrative forms.
“There are four yogas of any creation. We are in the creative field, and cinema is the culmination of creativity. So in Satyayug — listen from the perspective of cinema — when Satyayug was going on, the age of creativity, the gods used to live in different worlds and demons used to live in different worlds. After that, the era changed and Tretayug came; both gods and demons started living in the same world. Then the era changed again — Dwaparyug came — and then gods and demons, that is hero and villain, both started living in the same family. And now, Kaliyug has come — the time in which you and I are living — and now god and demon both are living in the same person.”
Expanding on his metaphor, he added: “This is the process of change in our era because when our mentality changes, then our ways of speaking change, our expression changes. I want you to take it like this — it is not like it has ended. You and I are moving in a circle. So we started from yesterday and have come to tomorrow, and we will end on tomorrow and go back to yesterday. So it is a circle of creativity, which keeps moving continuously.”
His words reflect a growing trend in cinema — one where characters are no longer purely good or evil but represent the duality that exists within all of us. This complexity has given rise to more layered roles and deeper emotional storytelling.
Heer Express, which stars Divita Juneja, Pritt Kamani, Ashutosh Rana, Gulshan Grover, Sanjay Mishra, and Meghna Malik, is a family entertainer that follows the journey of Heer, a young woman determined to chase her dreams while honoring her legacy.
The film is directed by Umesh Shukla and produced by Tulip Entertainment in association with Merry Go Round Studios and Creative Strokes Group. Producers include Umesh Shukla, Ashish Wagh, Mohit Chhabra, and Sanjay Grover, with Sampada Wagh as co-producer.
Rana’s reflections not only underscore his philosophical depth as an actor but also highlight how storytelling continues to evolve — not by abandoning tradition, but by embracing the timeless circle of creativity.
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