Good times ahead for Riyaz Khan

Riyaz Khan, who enacts the character of a villain in Tamil films, has finally found recognition in the Malayalee film industry.

Though he entered the Kerala film industry as a 'bad guy', his performance in "Balettan" -- a big hit of superstar Mohanlal -- has been noticed by people here.

His performance, coupled with the physique, has been lauded by the film industry and the cinemagoers in Kerala, where most of the actors are overweight.

Riyaz Khan now has several Malayalam films in hand, in which he is the villain -- but with the well-toned body, the baddie of these movies would perhaps end up getting more kudos than the hero!

So no wonder, Malayalam filmmakers are keen on making Riyaz Khan a hero. Sashi Shankar has already signed him as a hero in his next film.

Sashi Shankar is the director of "Kunjikoonan" in Malayalam and its Tamil remake "Perazhagan".