In the film Dhadkan which was released in 2000, Suniel Shetty portrayed the role of Dev Chopra, a stubborn with rough and tough attitude. He wants to get back his girl friend Anjali (Shilpa Shetty) even after her marriage with Ram Verma (Akshay Kumar).
To gain Anjali back, Dev collects enough wealth as her father, a wealthy person rejected to give her daughter's hand to him though she wanted to marry him because Dev was a poor person, he doesn't know who is his father and Anjali’s father didn't like his attitude or behaviour also.
Suniel Shetty‘s Dev’s character in Dhadkan was a tough one, he forces Anjali to leave her husband and to come back with him, when she rejects him for the second time he couldn't sustain and he tries to ruin Ram's life.
But when he sees unconditional love of Ram towards Anjali, Dev changes his mind and he accepts to marry his business partner Sheetal Verma (Mahima Choudhary) who loves him very much. Finally the film gets happy ending.
Before the film Dhadkan, Suniel Shetty was usually doing hero roles and supporting roles that too as an action hero he gave good performances in several films like Mohra, Border, Gopi Kishen and Rakshak. In Hera Pheri he did a comedy role but for the first time he did villain role in Dhadkan, it was a new experience for the audience to see Suniel Shetty in that get-up. But he did the role of Dev impressively and effortlessly, he was well suited for that role and he won his first Filmfare Award though he was nominated earlier for Filmfare Best Supporting Actor for the films Dilwale and Border.
After Dhadkan Suniel Shetty portrayed negative roles in several films such as Khel in 2003, Baaz in 2003, Main Hoon Na in 2004, Rudraksh in 2004, No Problem in 2010 and A Gentleman in 2017. But his role in Dhadkan got much popularised and brought him Filmfare Award for Best Villain and this is the only Filmfare Award he won so far.
Suniel Shetty doesn't consider his Dev’s role in Dhadkan is fully a negative role because in the film he is a true lover and he struggles to get back his love at any cost and later compromises for the good of his lover.