Exclusive | Kay Kay Menon Says 'Before OTT, People Often Typecast Me As a Villain'

Kay Kay Menon has been garnering praise for his latest release Bambai Meri Jaan, which has turned out to be the most popular OTT show. The character of Ismail Kadri, a cop, played by Menon, takes us through the journey of how he has to accept defeat in front of the corrupt system and in the process how his sons end up in the world of crime.

This is not the first time that Menon has been an investigating officer in a career that has spanned over two decades. He played Mumbai police officer Rakesh Maria in Black Friday, an inspector in Tera Kya Hoga Johnny, a Central Board of Investigation officer in Rahasya, an investigator in Bombay Velvet, and an Assistant Commissioner in Vodka Diaries.

Despite the similarities, all these characters are different from one another, the 56-year-old actor explained. “I always tell people that I perform people, not roles,” he said. “For me, the fact that a character is an ACP or a mafia is purely incidental. If I’m playing Ismail Kadri or Rakesh Maria (his character in Black Friday), I’m playing Ismail and Rakesh the individuals. Irrespective of the characters that I play, my process doesn’t change at all,” the actor added.

Whether it was the flamboyant criminal mastermind Mansoor Dalal in the web series Farzi or Khurram Meer, the conniving uncle in Haider, or the ruthless Brigadier Rudra Pratap Singh in Shaurya, Menon has always received critical acclaim for all of his performances in his career. At the same time, he has often been termed as an underrated actor. Asked about the same, Menon said, “I am fine with whatever the audience and the media want to call me as long as they don’t call me a bad actor (laughs). I don’t know how they rate me as an actor, but as long as it is not a negative connotation, I am perfectly fine. Even if it is negative, I am okay with it as it is their curse.”

Menon concluded by saying that streaming platforms allowed him to perform a variety of characters. “OTT has made a level playing field for every actor. Before streaming platforms existed, people often typecast me as a villain in films. This medium allowed me to perform diverse characters. What matters to me is the ability to perform consistently well. I’d like to live my entire life doing that. Then I’ll feel that I’ve been a decent actor. It cannot be just one or two good films. I want my work to outlive me,” he said.