Ravi Kissen and (right) Charles Sobhraj, whom the Bhojpuri actor will portray in Yash Raj Film’s Mere Dad Ki Maruti. Telegraph pictures

Ravi Kissen has gone over to the dark side and he will not bat an eyelid before conning or killing his victims.

The popular Bhojpuri actor has bagged the role of notorious conman and serial killer Charles Sobhraj in a Bollywood movie. What’s more, the film is being produced under the Yash Raj Films banner.

“This is the happiest moment in my life,” Kissen told The Telegraph. “It was my dream to work with Yash Raj Films. I have bagged this opportunity after struggling for 18 years.”

The film, Mere Dad Ki Maruti, is being directed by debutant Ashima Chibber, who was an assistant to Chak De! India director Shimit Amin. Newcomer Saqib Saleem, who was earlier seen in Mujhse Fraaandship Karoge, will share the silver screen with Kissen.

Describing his role, Kissen said: “I play a character inspired by Sobhraj. The film depicts his lifestyle and the manner in which he executed his crimes.”

Sobhraj, born in Vietnam in 1944 of French and Vietnamese parents, allegedly killed more than 12 people in various countries in Asia in the 1970s. Nicknamed the “Serpent” and the “Bikini Killer”, he was convicted in 1976 and served time at Tihar Jail in Delhi till 1997.

“The first time I heard of Sobhraj was in 1986 when he was arrested from a bar in Goa by Mumbai policeman Madhukar Zende. Till then, I did not know anything about him. But after I learnt how he had escaped from Tihar Jail, he fascinated me. I started to read about him,” said Kissen.

Sobhraj staged an escape from Tihar by throwing a party in the prison for his prisoner and guard friends, whom he bribed and drugged.

Kissen said he had grudging respect for the serial killer. “One cannot help but admire his daredevil acts. The film portrays how he kept roaming from one country to another, playing hide-and-seek with the police for nearly 30 years. The film depicts the miraculous escapes of Charles Sobhraj,” he added.

Asked how he prepared for the character, Kissen said: “I read a number of books, magazines and newspaper reports on him. ”

As Kissen would have learnt, Sobhraj led a celebrity life in Paris after his deportation from India. He charged million for films based on his life. But in 2003, he was spotted on the streets on Kathmandu in Nepal and arrested. At present, he is cooling his heels in a Kathmadu jail after the Supreme Court of Nepal convicted him to a 20-year life-term for the murder of US citizen Connie Jo Bronzich in 1975.

“The film is scheduled to release in Diwali. I am very excited to portray this character,” said Kissen.

Sobhraj, however, has long been a part of popular culture. A number of books and films, including the television movie Shadow of the Cobra (1989) and Farrukh Dhondy’s 2009 novel The Bikini Murders, are based on the notorious but mesmerising killer.