Playing rapist dirty job: Satish Kaushik

Mumbai: In his long career, Satish Kaushik has played it all, but never before has he played a rapist. In Nagesh Kukunooor`s ‘Laxmi’, about human trafficking, he is cast as a slime ball who rapes and forces a 20-year-old girl into prostitution.

The victim is played by Monali Thakur who was one of the finalists on season two of ‘Indian Idol’. She later gained popularity as a playback singer when she sang "Zara zara touch me" for Katrina Kaif in Abbas-Mustan`s ‘Race’. "It`s a real gandaa (dirty) character. I accepted it without a second thought. As an actor I like to play everything from villain to comedian. And Nagesh Kukunoor has written a very sensitive and emotional film about human trafficking. It`s about a young girl who is forced into prostitution. She fights back against her tormentors in court and gets them convicted," said Satish, who recently became the father of a daughter. The film is based on a true story that rocked Andhra Pradesh some time ago. Apparently, while preparing for the part, Satish met the man who committed the heinous crime. "It`s a dirty job to play such a character. But someone`s got to do it. What I like about the story is that it allows the girl to get justice. Normally girls, who are forced into prostitution, are silenced by fear. This girl stands up in court and testifies against the man. I truly admire her, even if my character is at the receiving end." "My character Reddy is really repulsive. I hate him even more now because I`m the father of a daughter. But what to be done? An actor`s job is to play any kind of character, no matter how sub-human," he added. IANS