National School of Drama moulds your personality, says actor Zakir Hussain

You saw him as Inspector Chougale in Black Friday, JD in Fool n Final, Sajid Don in Ajab Prem Ki Ghazab Kahani, Prakash Rao in Singham Returns, Patil in Badlapur and most recently as Giriraj Shastry in SonyLIV web series, Sandwiched Forever. In all these characters, though each is different from the other, actor Zakir Hussain always leaves an impact on the audience. 

“My character Shastry is a plant scientist, a very simple man who is totally involved with the flora, so much so that he even has names for them like Faiz, D’Costa, etc. But while Shastry is in love with plants, he is always at loggerheads with his wife,” says Hussain, about his ongoing series. The role was not difficult because “we Indians have a special relationship with plants”. 

Early life

The youngest among four siblings, Hussain had an easy life. Growing up in Malviya Nagar, where his father ran a construction business, he was inclined towards art since his childhood days. 

“No one in my family is remotely related to art. But I am fortunate that being the youngest child, I was given a free hand to do what I wanted,” he says. 

At Ram Lal Anand College, he was part of the drama society, and also a part of the Shri Ram Centre For Performing Arts. After college, he joined the National School of Drama (NSD). 

“NSD can greatly mould your personality. I had great teachers like Robin Das, Ram Gopal Bajaj, Mohan Maharishi, Panchanan Pathak and BM Shah among others.” 

After passing out of the institution in 1993, Hussain spent the next four years doing TV serials, and plays as a part of the NSD Repertory, before moving to Mumbai in 1997. 

“TV serials at that time were weekly and could be managed. Now, most are daily soaps and require a commitment of 24-25 days in a month, which is difficult,” he says, explaining why he doesn’t do TV serials anymore, but only films and web shows. 

Delhi vs Mumbai
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Both cities, for Hussain, have their own distinct character. “Mumbai is my karmbhoomi where I moved for work; it also introduced me to nightlife. Delhi is where I grew up. It will always remain special. My entire family is here so visits are frequent. It feels good to see it getting so much better infrastructurally. I love the winters here,” he says. 

Future belongs to OTT

“OTT has a huge reach as everyone has smartphones now. Unlike films where an actor often gets typecast, OTT offers you enough choice to explore.But, there is a downside. Many makers present abuse and nudity in the name of art, which is not correct. Makers should exercise self-restraint, lest government steps in,” he adds. Contented with having reached this far since his theatre days in the late 1980s, Hussain feels he still has a lot to do. “Sky is the limit,” he says, signing off.

Rapid Fire

Favourite director: Ram Gopal Verma, Sriram Raghvan, Rajkumar Hirani 
Other interests: Reading about ancient civilisations as well as modern inventions 
Upcoming projects: Films Satymev Jayate 2 and Indian 2, and some web series