Strength of a character matters to me most: Neil Nitin Mukesh

Chennai: Actor Neil Nitin Mukesh, who is making his Tamil debut with upcoming actioner `Kaththi`, says that he had been approached for Tamil films in the past but nothing excited him because he`s more concerned about the strength of a character.`Kaththi` may be the first Tamil film I`m working in, but I have been approached by Tamil filmmakers in the past but nothing materialised because I was not happy with my characters. It`s not about the length of a character, but its strength is what matters to me the most," Neil said.

"It doesn`t matter if I`m playing the protagonist or antagonist, my presence in a film should add value to the story. I`ve never taken the cliched route of being a hero. I`ve always explored myself as an actor from my first film," said the `Johnny Gaddaar` star. Neil says he prefers doing films where he gets to essay strong characters and A.R Murugadoss-directed `Kaththi` happens to be one such film. "I prefer doing films with strong characters. When Murugadoss sir approached me for `Kaththi`, I was hoping I had better character than my previous films. When he narrated the story, I really liked my role even though I play an antagonist," he said. `Kaththi`, which will hit the marquee this Diwali, also features superstar Vijay, Samantha Ruth Prabhu and Tota Roy Chaudhary in important roles.