Akshay Oberoi has never been a leading man in the conventional sense, and that has suited him fine. The actor, who has built a career out of playing men who sit comfortably in the shadows, says he finds villainy more interesting than virtue because it gives him something to dig into. With a turn as the antagonist in the upcoming film Toxic and a morally ambiguous part in Gajab Raat, Oberoi is leaning further into the grey zone rather than away from it.
In a conversation about his choices, Oberoi explained that negative characters come with an internal architecture that heroism rarely allows. "A hero is often defined by what he does for others, but a villain is defined by what he wants for himself," he said. "That kind of want is complicated, and complication is what an actor looks for."
That line of thinking has shaped much of his recent work. Oberoi has repeatedly gravitated to parts where the audience cannot easily decide whether to root for him, and he says that uncertainty is precisely the point. "If you know exactly how to feel about a character within the first ten minutes, the job is half done before you even walk on set," he said. "I would rather be the reason people argue after the film ends."
The actor's shift toward outright antagonist territory marks a notable progression. Having spent years moving between supporting roles and independent projects, Oberoi has earned a reputation as a performer who treats smaller films with the same seriousness as big ones. Playing the villain in a project with the scale and expectations of Toxic, therefore, is less a reinvention than a natural next step for someone whose instincts have long tilted toward the darker end of the spectrum.
A Villain With a Reason
Oberoi is careful not to describe his character in Toxic as evil for its own sake. He argues that the most durable screen villains are the ones whose logic is internally consistent, even if that logic leads somewhere unsettling. "The audience should be able to follow the road the character took, even if they would never take that road themselves," he said. "If I play him as simply bad, he becomes a function. If I play him as someone who believes he is right, he becomes a person."
That approach requires restraint. Oberoi said he deliberately avoided broad gestures while preparing for the role, focusing instead on smaller, behavioural details that reveal how a dangerous mind justifies itself. He has spoken before about studying the people around him rather than watching other actors play similar parts, and he returns to that idea here. "You do not learn menace by copying another performance," he said. "You learn it by paying attention to how people behave when they think nobody is watching."
He also acknowledged the responsibility that comes with screen violence and its depiction, noting that a well-drawn villain should disturb rather than glamourise. "The point is not to make him cool," Oberoi said. "The point is to make him understandable, and then to let the understanding trouble you."
The Grey Zone of Gajab Raat
If Toxic places him on the sharper end of the moral spectrum, Gajab Raat finds Oberoi occupying murkier ground. He describes that role as neither hero nor villain in any simple sense, a character whose choices shift depending on circumstance and whose motives remain open to interpretation. "The grey roles are tougher, honestly," he said. "With a villain you have a clear compass. With a grey character, you have to decide every day which way he is leaning."
Oberoi suggested that audiences have grown more receptive to such characters, partly because streaming and independent filmmaking have created room for stories that do not resolve neatly. "People are more willing to sit with a character they do not fully understand," he said. "That was not always the case."
He is also mindful of being typed. Having found a niche in unreliable and antagonistic figures, Oberoi said he actively looks for differences between them rather than repeating a template. "The risk is that you start playing your own reputation," he said. "Every part has to feel like a separate person, or you are just doing an impression of yourself."
As for the career he has assembled, Oberoi seems at peace with its shape. He has never chased the centre of the frame, and he does not appear to be starting now. "I would rather be memorable in a room than forgettable in the middle of the poster," he said. With Toxic and Gajab Raat ahead, he will get another chance to test whether audiences agree.
Source: Filmibeat