Bharat Dabholkar, popular ad-man and theatre personality, believes he will give all Indian villains a run for their money with the character he has essayed in "Karam".

"It is probably one of the most stylised villains on the Indian screen," said Dabholkar, who plays 'Captain', a menacing character.

Captain is "hardly the loud villain that you see in most Hindi films", Dabholkar was quoted.

"He is a cold-blooded and tough man. On the other hand, he is a very suave and smooth operator.

"The interesting aspect are his very stylised mannerisms that have been worked out in great detail."

In fact so impacting was his appearance in the film that people had called him and complimented him after just seeing the promos, Dabholkar said. The film was released March 4.

According to him, the role happened when cinematographer-turned-director Sanjay F. Gupta called up one day and narrated the character.

"I was too impressed with the character to even give it a thought. Besides, I had seen Sanjay Gupta's path-breaking work in music videos and cinematography," he recalled.

Dabholkar said the decision to star in the film paid off not only in terms of the character but also experience because he shot with a producer like Harry Baweja and acting with buddy John Abraham, "Karam's" hero.

"John is also from the ad world and he's one unassuming guy who has never thrown around his weight or acted difficult. Harry and his wife Pammi are great hosts. They value talent and the creative exercise that goes behind film-making," he said.

"Karam" is Dabholkar's third Hindi film after "Pagalpan" and a brief appearance in the role of a minister in Ram Gopal Varma's "Company".

He also did "Baba", a Tamil film with Rajnikanth in which he played the chief minister of Tamil Nadu.

"The roles I have done so far have never been planned. They have just been an extension of the friendly relations I have shared with the producers or directors of those films."

Dabholkar last produced and directed the hilarious English film "God Only Knows" - a spoof on India's political scenario.

Between theatre and films, Dabholkar feels his choice always goes to the latter. He has spent 18 years in the field and directed some of the best known plays, including "Bottoms Up".

"Theatre is creatively inspiring and always prods you to go one step further with your creative imagination."

Does that mean "Karam" is just a passing phase in his career?

"No way. I am hoping to experiment with diverse shades of villainy in the future. But it all depends on how I am able to strike the right balance between advertising, theatre and films," he says.