From his early breakout in Ajith Kumar’s Vedalam to becoming one of Malayalam cinema’s most talked-about antagonists in Marco, Kabir Duhan Singh has quietly built a filmography that now spans more than 80 films across seven languages. Over the past decade, the actor has carved out an unusual space for himself in Indian cinema. With his towering frame and commanding screen presence, he has often been cast as the intimidating antagonist, the kind of villain who walks into a scene and instantly shifts its energy.
Yet off screen, Kabir speaks with an easy warmth and humility that sits in stark contrast to the menacing characters audiences usually associate him with. With the Malayalam web series Kasaragod Embassy marking his OTT debut, the actor speaks to Filmfare about his journey, the dangers of being typecast, and why he still approaches every role as if it might be his last.
When he joins the call, the actor is in the middle of a packed schedule in Dehradun, where he is shooting for a Hindi film. The day has been hectic, but Kabir sounds relaxed.
The immediate talking point is Kasaragod Embassy, a Malayalam web series that has already sparked curiosity after the trailer dropped. For an actor who already has several big projects lined up, including the pan-Indian Malayalam project Kattalan with Antony Varghese, stepping into a web series might seem like an unexpected move. Kabir, however, insists the decision was simple.
“I always go for content,” he says. “I liked the subject immediately. It felt different. I’ve always been open to OTT platforms. Today the lines between cinema and streaming are disappearing. Every big star is doing series or films for streaming platforms. For me, the language doesn’t matter. It can be Hindi, Tamil or Malayalam. The content has to excite me.”
The series also brought him together with a young and energetic team. Kabir says their enthusiasm was obvious from the moment he stepped onto the set.
“When I reached on the first day, the whole team came to my vanity and started explaining the scenes. They were very excited. After my first shot the director came and said, ‘Sir, you’re looking damn good.’ That kind of response gives you a lot of energy as an actor.”
Working on a web series also meant adjusting to a slightly different pace of shooting.
“In films you might shoot two or three scenes in a day. Here, we were sometimes shooting five or six scenes. Sometimes two units were working simultaneously. The budgets are tighter compared to cinema, but what I really liked was that the team never compromised on quality. They were giving their blood and sweat for the series.”
Kabir says he tries to bring the same level of intensity to every project he signs. In fact, he follows a simple philosophy that keeps him grounded.
“I always keep one thing in my mind,” he says. “I think this might be the last project of my career. If this is the last subject I’m doing, I have to give everything to it. That’s why I always say I give my 2000 percent.”
That mindset comes from the long road he travelled before reaching this point. Kabir did not enter cinema with industry connections or an easy entry.
“I started from scratch,” he says. “When I was a model, there was nobody to guide me. I gave auditions and slowly moved forward. It has been ten years now. I’ve done 84 films across seven languages.”
Looking back, the number still surprises him.
“I’ll turn 39 this year. When I see the journey, I feel grateful. Audiences from so many industries have accepted me. Tamil, Malayalam, Kannada, Hindi, Marathi, Punjabi… I’ve received love everywhere.”
For Tamil audiences, Kabir’s early recognition came with Ajith Kumar’s 2015 blockbuster Vedalam. The film arrived at a crucial time in his career and gave him significant visibility.
“My first film was the Telugu movie Jil, which released on March 27, 2015,” he recalls. “After the film released, I signed 11 films in seven days. Out of those 11 films, one was Vedalam.”
The opportunity itself arrived unexpectedly.
“My associate director called me and said director Siva’s team was asking about me for a role opposite Ajith sir. I was new then. I didn’t even know Siva sir personally. Suddenly I got the call and that’s how it happened.”
Once Vedalam released, Kabir noticed a major shift in how audiences perceived him.
“That film gave me a huge fan base in Tamil cinema. Even today people message me saying, ‘Sir, please do one more film with Thala Ajith.’ I’m always ready.”
Interestingly, a reunion almost happened years later.
“They called me for a role in Thunivu. But they wanted me to cut my beard and I had continuity for another film, so I couldn’t do it.”
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Before stepping into Kasaragod Embassy, Kabir delivered one of the most talked-about antagonist performances in the Malayalam film Marco. His character, referred to by many viewers simply as “the doctor” for his part in an extremely gruesome scene in the film, left a strong impression on audiences.
The reaction, he says, was overwhelming.
“After the film released I got around 20 to 25 thousand messages. The surprising thing was that there wasn’t a single negative message. People from Kerala told me they had never seen a villain like that who still received so much love.”
Even director Haneef Adeni, he recalls, was taken aback after watching one of the film’s key scenes. “He called me after seeing the pre-climax and said, ‘Dude, the pre-climax is looking like a climax now. We don’t know what to do with the climax.’ That was a great compliment.”
Kabir describes Marco as a once-in-a-lifetime experience, though he admits the role was emotionally intense. “It was a very dark character. But as I said, I gave my 2000 percent. And now wherever I go, people ask me to come back in Marco 2.”
Kabir’s imposing screen presence has naturally led to him being cast as villains in many films. Yet he is very aware of the risk of getting typecast.
“An actor is like a vessel,” he says thoughtfully. “A good director can mould him in any shape. I’ve mostly done villain roles, but I’m very open to exploring different shades.”
He recently completed a Telugu film where he plays a father dealing with his son’s terminal illness, a role that demanded emotional vulnerability rather than menace.
“In that film, I’m a doctor whose son is dying from a disease. He knows he cannot save him and he breaks down emotionally. If you see those scenes, you might not believe it’s the same person who has been playing villains.”
Kabir also mentions that two of his recent projects cast him in positive roles. One sees him as a cybercrime officer in a Hindi film, while another features him as a police officer solving a murder mystery.
“Now, people are recognising that I don’t always have to play the villain,” he says. “I’m open to everything. Comedy, action, even a love story. You never know which director might see a different side of you.”
In Kasaragod Embassy, Kabir plays Damanna, a powerful Mangaluru-based mafia figure who runs a passport forgery racket. The story follows the criminal network he controls and the chaos that unfolds when two young men enter his orbit. Kasaragod Embassy will premiere on ZEE5 on March 20.
“Damanna is a big mafia,” Kabir explains. “Nobody is bigger than him in that world. He’s always looking for people who can work for him. When he finds these two boys and brings them into the business, his life begins to change.” The character, he hints, is central to the narrative. “The story moves through Damanna. And if there is a second season, the character will become even bigger.”
Toward the end of the conversation, Kabir reflects on the journey that brought him here. “From my village to Delhi University, then to Mumbai, then to South cinema. It has been a long journey,” he says, pausing for a moment. “Lots of struggle, lots of auditions.”
Today, he has acted in seven languages and is preparing to sign his 85th film.
“My Bollywood breakthrough is still pending,” he says with a grin. “But it’s just a matter of time. One good hit and everything can change.”
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