Mohammed Zeeshan Ayyub is gearing up for the release of the upcoming web series Bloody Brothers. It will begin streaming from March 18 on ZEE5. He will be sharing screen space with seasoned actor Jaideep Ahlawat. The Free Press Journal caught up with him for an exclusive tête-à-tête. Excerpts:
Being an outsider, what changes do you notice from then to now?
The basic idea of aesthetics and how the performances have changed is beneficial. For me, it’s much better now. Earlier such strong characters were not given to me. Honestly speaking, you cannot take anything easily. You have to prove yourself as an actor. Now it’s like I can wait and films are coming to me. It is good for those of us who are working regularly. It is easy now for us.
Your hardships enabled you to sustain in this unpredictable industry... From smaller roles to playing the protagonist. How do you feel?
I think the first virtue is patience; secondly, you need to focus on your craft rather than other things. You have to be honest with the work you have in hand. You have to give your best with whatever you have. What I can do is whenever I’m shooting in the given circumstances, I need to give my best.
It’s wonderful that you are getting to romance a female lead now in Bloody Brothers...
(Laughs) There are two females, Shruti Seth and Tina Desai. Tina is opposite me. I am getting full-fledged drama and story-oriented roles. It’s almost like a hero heroine romance for me. It feels great.
Elaborate about the directors you worked with during this journey of yours...
I was really lucky to have worked with different directors who have their own style of direction. Raj Kumar Gupta (No One Killed Jessica)... It was a very new facing film camera for the first time. I got nervous, and he helped me do my scenes. Aanand L Rai and I are like a family. I keep visiting him. With Hansal Mehta, I did Shahid and Chhalaang, which was released on OTT. It was not a typical Hansal Mehta film hence didn’t receive great reviews. I had a great time with Hansal. He is brilliant and gives freedom to his actors. Kabir Khan is the opposite of Hansal. He knows what he wants, and he also has an edit in his mind. He knows which line needs a close and which line needs a wide shot. I worked in Phantom and Tubelight with him. Technically he never interferes as he feels he just has to take his shot. He is relaxed and easy to work with. Rahul Dholakia has become a very close friend. He would discuss before the shot division while it’s being set during the beginning of any shot. Working with Shaad Ali was also great fun as he has a great sense of humour. We don’t take any burden while shooting. It was a light feeling. Kangana Ranaut in Manikarnika: The Queen of Jhansi... I have acted with her in Tanu Weds Manu. It was a very small role, just for four days. Undoubtedly she is a brilliant actor. As a director, also she knew what she wanted, which shot and which scene needed to be shot. She was giving us lots of freedom. We had a good time on the sets.
