EXCLUSIVE! Ankit Raaj On Playing A Don With Soft Heart In Main Hoon Don: 'He Just Wants...'

In an exclusive conversation with Filmibeat Assistant Editor Abhishek Ranjit, the actor spoke about what attracted him to the project, the challenges of portraying a layered character, the changing content landscape, and why Indian storytellers should focus on telling their own stories.

I Had To Play A Badass Gangster And A Responsible Father

Talking about what drew him to Main Hoon Don, Ankit revealed that the action element immediately grabbed his attention.

"I love doing action. When they narrated the opening sequence where all these goons come at me and I'm fighting them, I was already excited. But what made the role even more interesting was that Vijay has two very different sides. He's a responsible father on one hand and an underworld don on the other. Playing both shades was a nice mix and something I haven't done before," he shared.

The Emotional Core Of Main Hoon Don

While the action and thrill are key ingredients of the show, Ankit believes the father-daughter relationship is the real heartbeat of the story.

Explaining Vijay's emotional journey, the actor said that his character has spent 15 years in jail, creating a massive distance between him and his daughter Ananya.

"When Vijay comes out, he realizes there's no connection between him and his daughter. He wants to build that bond and do everything possible to earn her love back. At the same time, he wants to protect her from every danger because of everything he has gone through in life. The entire story revolves around this emotional journey and the secrets he carries," he explained.

Ankit On Challenges In Micro-Dramas

With vertical dramas becoming increasingly popular, Ankit admitted that the format comes with its own challenges.

"Every character is demanding because I like to know my lines thoroughly and be fully prepared before every scene. But vertical dramas are especially taxing because we shoot more scenes in a day. I recently worked on a film where we would shoot only three scenes daily. Here, the pace is much faster. It's definitely more demanding than television or even web series," he said.

On Audience's Shrinking Attention Span

The conversation also touched upon changing audience habits and the growing popularity of short-format content.

Ankit, who comes from a theatre background, admitted that the declining attention span of younger audiences concerns him.

"I'm a theatre person and I still love watching films in cinemas and live performances. While it's great that audiences today have so many content options, I do worry about shrinking attention spans. Having said that, this is probably the best time to be in the entertainment industry because actors have so many avenues to explore-films, web series, theatre, vertical dramas and even creating their own content," he said.

India Should Tell Its Own Stories

Speaking about Indian content's global potential, Ankit stressed the importance of embracing originality instead of simply adapting trends from other countries.

"Indian content has immense potential because of our diversity and the number of stories we have. We should focus on telling our own rooted stories rather than copying what is already working elsewhere. We need to Indianize our content more and showcase stories from our villages, cultures and communities. That's what will truly connect with global audiences," he stated.

Fearless Vijay And A New Side Of Ankit Raaj

During a rapid-fire round, Ankit described his character Vijay in one word: "Fearless."

He also revealed that the most challenging sequence in the show was the opening rain fight scene, where his character battles a large group of opponents.

When asked what fans can expect from the series, the actor promised surprises and a fresh side of himself.

"Audiences will get to see a new side of Ankit Raaj where I get to play every emotion and every graph in a very different way," he said.

Main Hoon Don is available for streaming on Quick TV.