Cute actor Zaan Khan is not very perturbed by the low opening numbers of his new Zee TV show, Hamari Bahu Silk. “We have just started and it takes some time for any show to gain traction. You also need to take into account the very stiff competition in the 10.30 pm time slot.”
“We have a great story and fresh cast (Chahat Pandey, Reeva Chaudhary, etc.), so all is well. Our drive to push the pedal is given further impetus by the positive messages from all over the world.” Talking about his character Naksh, Zaan says, “It is not easy to give up one’s passion (photography) and jump into the family business, as he is forced to. He is judged a lot, which is not done.”
Interestingly, unlike other actors, Zaan is not very gung-ho about getting a lead after playing strong characters in prior shows like Naamkaran and Ishqbaaaz. “We are still playing characters. First it was a parallel lead or antagonist, and now hero. It is not that the audiences watch you more, for they watch the show, which includes the entire cast. The only change I feel is that I am fielding more media calls.”
“I am a very sorted guy who gets the fact that at the end of the day, a lot depends on destiny. You might do the biggest of shows and yet get nowhere, but even a small role might get you in the the spotlight. I am quite satisfied with my bit, as long as I am acting in good projects.”
“Also, no actor alone can lift a show; it always has to be team work. I am very lucky to have got great co-stars in Sarita Joshi Ma’m and others.”
Zaan further claims that he does not really work for money. “Pay me decent to run my expenses and I am satisfied.”
Zaan, who started with movies before shifting to TV, says that he does not discriminate between mediums. “We have to act in both, and it is not that you have to put in lesser efforts in either. Having said that, I do agree that there are still some who tend to weigh films more.”
“The fact that I put in a lot of effort to shed 12 kilos for this role should buttress my above claim that I love both TV and cinema. Normally, you hear of such efforts only for film roles”.
In closing, Zaan says that his biggest dream would be that five years down the road, Bollywood and TV’s biggest stars send him well done cards.