MUMBAI: Playing shades of grey is no longer taboo for actors. There was a time when many actors didn't want a negative tint to be attached to their acting portfolio. However, now, times are different. Many antagonist characters are being written, which are not only at par with lead characters but sometimes also more powerful than them.

Among the younger crop of actors who recently played negative shades, Parched actor Chandan K Anand says, ‘I not only enjoy playing negative characters but revel in it. Playing the evil Kroor Singh in Life OK's popular fantasy fiction Prem Ya Paheli Chandrakanta was very demanding physically and emotionally.’

He added, ‘To get into the psychology of this complex character, Koor Singh, was very interesting, and being a period drama, I had to work on my physique as well.’

Right after that, Chandan dabbled in another dark character—that of a contract killer in Zee5's hugely popular web series Rangbaaz. ‘Playing this rustic, scheming killer in the background of a murky underworld was an interesting challenge for me. I feel dark is the new cool.’