Aasif Khan: I don’t believe in the concept of hero

From a junior artiste in Ready and Agneepath to being a part of cult web-series and two shows as a protagonist, Aasif Khan has come a long way. But the Mirzapur-2 and Jamtara (2020) actor believes in playing characters irrespective of the length of the role.

“I came here to act and for me a small role in TV or film was what I was expecting! That I would play lead in a show yeh to sapne mein bhi nahin dekha tha na kabhi socha tha! This was beyond my imagination and till date I don’t believe that I have already played protagonist in two series – Ghar Set Hai (2022) and Murder in Agonda (2022). I have completed a film Non Stop where I play the parallel lead with Vedika Bhandari and Rithvik Dhanjani,” says the PaatalLok and Panchayat actor on a visit to Lucknow.

The 30-year-old actor says, “I don’t believe in the concept of hero! I believe we all put an act together and the story moves forward. In Django Unchained, superstar like Leonardo DiCaprio played a small but powerful role, as did Ironman Robert Downey Jr and actor Ramy Malek in Oppenheimer. It’s only here (in India) that we are stuck with the concept of hero which thankfully is being shed. That’s the reason my idols are actors like Irrfan sir and Nawaz(uddin Siddiqui) bhai.”

He has wrapped many projects. “My earliest release will be The Great Indian Family with Vicky Kaushal and Manushi Chhillar where I play an antagonist, film Noorani Chehra with Nawaz bhai and film Kakuda with Riteish Deshmukh, Sonakshi Sinha, Saqib Saleem. Besides, I am shooting Virgin Tree with Sanjay (Dutt) sir where I play a 22-year-old, for which I am losing weight.”

Khan has been part of some very big franchise series but does not mind now not being part of it. “I feel proud to be part of them but as an actor, I want to work on new projects, characters and new people. So, I am very happy that in most of my series my character ended – zabardasti kheechne ka koi matlab nahi. Also, you don’t get stuck in one character!”

The actor is currently shooting for a web series with Kusha Kapila and Lucknowite Saurabh Tewari as showrunner. “Earlier, I shot for both parts of Mirzapur, the film Pagglait (2021) and an ad with Jimmy (Shergill) sir. I have come here for personal visits as well. Unfortunately, this time I am not able to go on a restaurant hopping spree due to my strict diet regime.”