'Laxmii' actor Tarun Arora on his negative role in the Akshay Kumar film

"Things don't become interesting if they are not challenging. Characters with grey shades come with lots of challenges. According to my experience, your reaction has to be stronger than your actions," Tarun told IANS.

The actor has earlier played negative roles in the 2016 Tamil film "Kanithan" and the 2017 Chiranjeevi-starrer Telugu release, "Khaidi No. 150".

"You always have to keep yourself fit, and you get to learn a lot from the fight sequences. I got to learn horse riding. I have done sword fighting and martial arts (in various films). There are always interesting roles when it comes to playing grey shades," he added.

Last year, he had featured in "Kanchana 3", directed by Raghava Lawrence. Now, he will be seen in Lawrence's Bollywood debut "Laxmii", which is a Hindi remake of the filmmaker's 2011 Tamil hit, "Muni 2: Kanchana".

"These are two different stories. I played a politician in 'Kanchana 3'. I feel that kind of made Lawrence Sir feel more comfortable and more confident to use me in 'Laxmii'," added the "Jab We Met" actor.

The Akshay-starrer, slated for an OTT release on November 9, has been surrounded by controversies for a while. First, there were reports of Lawrence's fallout with the team. Then, a section of netizens demanded boycott of the film over alleged stereotypical representation of the transgender community. Finally, there was objection over the film's original title, "Laxmmi Bomb", because some people felt the title insulted the Hindu Goddess Laxmi. The film had to be renamed "Laxmii" following suggestion of the Central Board of Film Certification.

"Yes, I heard a bit of controversies with the film. Fair enough, people have their own opinions but I see things from my side. The film was not made with any intention to hurt anybody's sentiments. It's a full-time entertainer. It's a comedy horror flick and at this time of Covid, I think it is a perfect family film," said Tarun.