Sampath Raj: The surprise element in my role drew me to Londonalli Lambodara

Sampath Raj, with his trademark bass voice, is forever the popular choice to play characters with shades of grey in many South Indian films, but the actor reveals that his next Kannada outing,

Londonalli Lambodara

, is a bit a different from the usual.
A suave character with a hint of grey
Speaking about the film, Sampath shares, “It is a light-hearted comedy and has been made by a young group of friends. It is a fun entertainer that helps you let go of the real world to be part of the ‘reel’ realm.” However, the actor is tight-lipped about the role he plays in the narrative. “My character is stylish, suave and classy and he does have a shade of grey — but it is up to the audience to really decide how ‘grey’ the role really is. I do not wish to reveal too much, but I can say that my character is a bit different from the ordinary —there is an element of surprise in my role,” he says. What was it that made him sign the dots for Londonalli Lambodara? “It is an interesting script and a fun entertainer and I found my role very interesting. I went with my gut feeling and I decided to do the film,” he says. The idea of gut feeling is also a concept that the narrative deals with. “There might be times in our lives where we find that because our circumstances and thought processes are similar to someone else’s, things might work out for us the way it did for them. That gut feeling that you get is something that this script will bring your notice to,” he explains.
Taking up different roles
Apart from playing the baddie, Sampath’s career has seen him take up out-and-out comedy roles, notably an

LGBT

character. “I performed all that I intended to do while playing that character, but I will never play a role like that again, simply because I do not intend to repeat my performance. I gave it my all and now I want to take up other different interesting roles,” he says. While Londonalli Lambodara is his latest Kannada venture, the actor will soon be seen in a few Telugu films. “I want to go where there is scope for the character I play. It is what made me choose the recently-released Anukta and the soon-to-release Londonalli Lambodara too,” he signs off.