Tangaballi challenged me to perform better: Nikitin

Actor Nikitin Dheer says his "Chennai Express" character Tangaballi challenged him to perform better in front of superstar Shah Rukh Khan.

He is thankful to filmmaker Rohit Shetty for giving him a negative character to play.

"Tangaballi is a character that challenged me to perform better in front of an extremely talented actor; Shah Rukh Khan. He is extremely warm and motivating, that you yourself want to perform better," Nikitin said in a statement.

"For that matter, even director Rohit Shetty said that the character was the negative lead because he was pitted against the hero. That was extremely heartening and I am glad I got that opportunity," added the actor, who essays role of Veer Pratap Chauhan in Star Plus show "Ishqbaaaz".

"Chennai Express" tells the story of a north Indian man (essayed by Shah Rukh), who falls in love with a Tamil girl, essayed by his "Om Shanti Om" co-star Deepika Padukone.

Talking about his stint as Veer Pratap Singh, Nikitin said: "The audience response has been phenomenal and I am really thankful to them to have accepted me as Veer in their favourite show. It's a negative role with a twist and I am loving every bit of playing this character."