There’s something about Vidyut Jammwal. The actor who made a debut as a villain was able to overshadow the lead actor (John Abraham) in Force. And now he has managed to deliver a hit of sorts with his second film (Commando). His USP undoubtedly is his smoking hot body and his action. The action hero says, “For me it isn’t about playing a hero or a villain. What matters is bringing the kind of action on screen that the audience has never seen before.” Vidyut in an exclusive tete-a-tete,  talks about his love for martial arts, coming from a non-film family and why he loves taking risks. Read on...You must be thrilled with the response Commando is garnering...I was hoping that the audience would take notice of the film, especially the action. But  it has surpassed my expectations. Many people said that they have enrolled into a gym after watching the film. That my film can inspire anyone like this is the biggest compliment for me.    Without any filmi background you have managed to make a mark on the Bollywood map. What do you attribute that to?People respect talent here. If you have something to offer, they will give you your due. In my case I came with nothing except my martial arts. It’s what I offered and it’s what I’m being acknowledged for.    Why is it that a Siddharth Malhotra and Varun Dhawan become stars overnight and someone like you has to go that extra mile to prove himself?I don’t know what they have gone through or haven’t, that’s their journey. But I don’t resent walking that extra mile or pushing myself that much harder to prove myself. Teer ko jitna peechhe kheenchoge, woh utna aagey jaaega. Besides, it wasn’t just about how people perceive me, but also how they look at the action genre here. Commando has raised the bar and now whoever makes a film in the genre will have to do better in terms of the action sequences. That’s what matters and that’s what makes the ‘going the extra mile’ worthwhile for me.Ever resent the fact that you don’t belong to a film family? For one, things would have been a lot easier…Maybe it would have been easier, but I don’t look at easy things anyway.  You started off playing a baddie in Force. There are very few actors who have successfully done that like SRK (Darr, Baazigaar)...When I did Force, I had not looked at my role as negative or positive, I just wanted to take up that chance of doing action onscreen. I have to thank Vipul Shah for noticing that potential in me. He believed in me and my convictions of making an authentic action franchisee here, something that even Hollywood directors would want to use as a reference since the moves are all absolutely original. That’s how Commando happened. And I’m thrilled because more than an item number, it’s the action sequences in the film that have been most-watched and downloaded on YouTube and Facebook.So is a sequel on the cards?Yes. It will happen.  Do you get a feeling that some actors wouldn’t want to be paired with you because of insecurity?I don’t know about that. All I know is that anything good will shine. Small role or big, if you are good, you will be noticed and appreciated. I don’t believe it’s necessary to step over someone else’s shoulder to move ahead.According to you which actor has done the best action here?Akshay (Kumar), Ajay (Devgn) and Suniel (Shetty)... I think all three have done the best to their limits.You’ve been training since childhood, so was the martial arts for the movies or simply for the love of it?I was born to do martial arts. At a time when people play with toys, I was playing with swords and sticks. It was  the most natural thing for me to do. By the age of three, I knew that martial arts was my calling.  You passed up a lot of offers waiting for Commando. Wasn’t there any insecurity in letting go of projects?I was very sure of what I could bring to the table. I had full faith in that. The conviction gave me the courage to bet on this kind of a project. You just have to have that kind of a trust in yourself.   Risky, no?Yes it was risky. But risks have never scared me. If anything, they’ve only tempted me to take them up as challenges. Whether it was playing an out-and-out bad guy, or refusing to do that again even though it worked the first time around. Risks are a staple for me, literally. Every time I do a stunt without the cables, that’s something that most would consider risky too. But that doesn’t stop me.You train with a bunch of guys from the slums…Yes, some of the guys from my training team come from the slums. We train daily, choreograph new moves. We focus more on agility and Indian forms of martial arts rather than the harness-based stunts and we try to create and perfect new signature moves that have never been seen before.Most newbies are busy playing the loverboy. The fact that you are the only guy doing action is a huge advantage, right?I didn’t plan it that way. I am okay with doing any genre, as long as it has ‘action’ as the prefix. So, be it anything, action-comedy, action-romance, action-action… I’m up for it.

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