Dino Morea is receiving praises and love from various corners of the country for his portrayal as an antagonist in Disney+Hotstar’s latest offering ‘The Empire.’ The actor has nailed the character of Shaybani Khan and that has become the talking point for many critics. In a recent interview, Morea opened up about his equation with former girlfriend and actress Bipasha Basu. He also talked about the criticism that came in the way of his show ‘The Empire.’
On being asked if his equation with Bipasha Basu changed post-break-up, Dino Morea revealed that they continue to be friends even today. He said, “My equation with Bipasha Basu from Raaz to Gunaah had not changed. I don’t think it changed ever. Yes, we were dating when we were shooting Raaz. Then we were not dating during Gunaah. But, I think we were both professional actors and we both wanted to be professional on the sets and in the industry. So, we did not let our personal relationship come in between our work, we let that stay out of the work we did. I think we both handled everything very professionally.”
Dino further added, “My equation with her is still. I mean we both respect each other and we both are still friendly, very friendly. In fact, we don’t talk as much but we talk every now and then and there are those cherished memories which were wonderful. So, the equation is great!”
For the unversed, both Raaz and Gunaah were released in 2002. Afterwards, the duo went on to co-star in movies like Rakht, Ishq Hai Tumse, and Chehraa.
Dino’s latest outing as a villain in ‘The Empire‘, is being widely applauded. However, a certain section of society got offended with the show as they felt that it somehow “glorified Mughals”. Responding to the same, Dino clarified, “I took on this show and I took on the character (of Shaybani Khan), and not even once did I think there’d be any backlash for it. Firstly, this (the web series) is based on a book. Secondly, there is a lot of fiction. We are not saying it is a biopic of anyone. We are just creating a drama, we are just creating a saga, of an era 600 years ago, and a story that took place in another country Fergana, which is now Uzbekistan.”
Dino in The Empire
He continued, “People who had an issue with the show after its release are actually those who have not even watched the show. The number of people who liked the show outnumbers those who have a problem with it. Moreover, we are not hurting anybody, nor are we glorifying anybody, unlike what people are saying. If you watch the show, you’d know what I mean. So, all this did not affect me, it still does not. The show is wonderfully done and people are loving it. So, I am more excited than being worried about anything at all.”
Dino is someone who does not take trolls to his heart. Giving his opinion on trolling and bashing, Dino added, “Yes, we do live in an era where everybody has a phone and everybody who has a phone has an opinion. And there are trolls. I keep repeating this. The trolls do not pay your bills. You cannot base your life on their opinions. You base your life, and you live your life on your terms. Your opinion matters, and the opinions of the people closest to you matter. Nobody else’s opinion matters.”