I never dreamt of playing opposite Mammootty: Raj B Shetty on Turbo

Actor-filmmaker Raj B. Shetty revealed that he never thought he would be offered the main antagonist role in Turbo, starring Malayalam superstar Mammootty. He is essaying the role of Vetrivel Shanmugha Sundaram, which Raj believes is one of the most powerful characters in his career.

"When the director first offered me the role, I was doubtful whether I could pull it off. But I had full faith in Midhun Manuel Thomas's script and Vysakh's direction. When I went to the sets, I focused on the language and the psychological makeup of the characters. He has a superior feeling about himself. How would a person like this behave? Walk? I also wanted the character to have a lot of swag," he said.

Vetrivel Shanmugha Sundaram is a Tamilian played by a Kannada actor in a Malayalam movie. Directed by Vysakh, Turbo seems like an out-and-out commercial entertainer that has been made with the intention to purely entertain.

Raj seems to have had an amazing time playing the villain opposite Mammootty. He thanked his stars and his critical hit Garuda Gamana Vrishabha Vahana for helping him get the attention of the Malayalam filmmakers.

"Fortunately, Garuda Gamana Vrishabha Vahana crossed the borders and reached the filmmakers of Kerala. I never dreamt of playing a role like Vetrivel opposite Mammootty sir. I am not an ambitious person. Whatever comes my way, I will do," he added.

However, Raj can't help but admire his character in Turbo, even though he is a villain. "My character doesn't care what others think of him, and that makes him a powerful character. 'I don't care what you think' is a beautiful power to have as a human being. And when a bad person has that power, he can be very dangerous," he added.

Turbo is director Vysakh's third collaboration with Mammootty. Earlier, the actor-director duo delivered two commercial hits: Pokkiri Raja and Madhura Raja. The film is due in cinemas on May 23.