Kashmiri actor on growing up in politically unstable state
Mumbai Feb 18 (IANS) "Kuch Bheege Alfaaz" actor Zain Khan Durrani a Kashmiri by birth says the worst part about growing up in a "tumultuous and politically unstable state" is that you insidiously get used to the violence around.
He made a strong impact in Onir s latest directorial "Kuch Bheege Alfaaz" as a poetic romantic dreamer RJ with a guilty secret.
Where does this intensity on screen come from?
"I believe it s a lot to do with the character I am asked to play. I have always been an emotional person and that got me to write the poetry I do. Maybe growing up in Kashmir does have a bearing on the emotional aspect of my personality as well " he said.
He grew up watching movies with his father on the VCR.
"I didn t see a movie on the big screen until Swades in Jammu owing to the fact that there are none in Kashmir. But I think this mode of self-expression was coveted by me deep down within always " said the actor whose father is a doctor and mother a professor of psychology.
The Burn Hall school Srinagar alumnus also studied at Zakir Husain Delhi College.
As a Kashmiri what are his thoughts on the violence in the Valley and the violent times we live in?
"The worst part about growing up in a tumultuous and politically unstable state is that you insidiously get used to the violence around. Almost impermeable but scared and disconcerted within " he said.
On bagging "Kuch Bheege Alfaaz" (KBA) he said: "It s been a process of three years in Mumbai. I came to Mumbai by a stroke of destiny in 2014 when a random audition call landed me at the auditions of Onir s Shab in Delhi."
"Onir liked my work and asked me to assist him on Shab . I spent my time learning and auditioning all of this while until Onir mentioned KBA to me and that I had to undergo auditions again with FTC (production house F The Couch) and that I did. Only when the producers liked me did Onir tell me that he always wanted me to do the role."
He finds Onir a through professional.
"His emotional intelligence and skills are exceptional. While it s my first movie I was never made to feel that way. He has an in-depth approach and he includes aspects from the personal life of his actors in the characters they are portraying thereby making the process much more sustainable for his actors " said the actor.
In the film he is shown to have no qualms in befriending and falling in love with a girl who has a skin ailment. Would he react the same way in real life to a similar situation?
"I have come to believe that a beautiful face will wither and an intelligent mind can decay but the soul is where the beauty resides and I want to be cherished for that and hence I wouldn t want any thing less than that for my loved one " said Zain.
On his future plans he said: "I want to be able to do a wide variety of roles. Content is the new king as it should be so the kind of work that excites me as an audience is what I d like to be a part of as an actor as well."
--IANS
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