Zakir Hussain speaks to Darpan Mago about playing Amitabh Bachchan’s right hand man in Yudh
How much do you relate to your character, Anand Upadhya, in YudhIJ
Anand is the right hand man of Yudhishthir Sikarwar (Amitabh Bachchan). The show is about an elite businessman caught in psychological, emotional and professional battle. It is Amitabh and me who handle the business empire. I give him solutions and suggestions to handle the company. My personality, like Anand, is calm and composed and I don’t usually display overwhelming emotions.
How did you get this roleIJ
Anurag Kashyap’s casting director Mukesh Chhabra understands the change in Indian cinema and focusses on finding real characters. They both are the reason for me being in this show. Anurag and I are friends since long time now. He has been associated with his actors throughout and has ended up making a team with great cinematic sense. Whenever Anurag works, he pays attention to all the details. We first worked in Black Friday.
Anurag can spot his characters easily among actors. Due to his innate quality he just happens to know what person he wants to cast and how.
One day in a very candid manner he told me that I simply have to be whoever I am as a person and the character will automatically flow out. Some parts of the Anand’s character are also modelled of my own personality.
I developed my own sense of acting and equipped myself with skills required to run the show. I’ve eventually learnt to develop a character. One must know how to perform three essentials, that is, banana, sajana and savarna.
How is this role different from your past rolesIJ
Anand precedes any circumstance thoughtfully. The calm and composed demeanor of my character makes him a man of a remarkable sharp mind. Compared to my other roles, this man is very circumspect and takes decisions in a very calculative manner. I just cannot step out of the qualities of my character, the moment I do, it dies out. Anand is very difficult to play but at the same time very exciting.
How was it to work with Amitabh BachchanIJ
I till now have faced no difficulty in working with any of the veteran actors. I have shed my inhibitions with time. Our concentration as a team has always been on making the scene better. Amitabh only helps people come out of their restricted frame of mind.
Any problems faced in playing the character are solved with flexibility and candid discussion. He sometimes ends up suggesting new things and ways to bring out a character trait. Amitabh helps young actors overcome their problems. Sharing screen with big actors like
Amitabh boosts my confidence. I am an observant person and sometimes I just sit back and observe Big B play his part. He is a far-sighted man with fire in his belly and is always striving for uniqueness in his role. It was so much inspiring to work with him and actors like Sarika.
What do you have to say on the trend of finite TV seriesIJ
Every show has its own audience and it caters to its own unique mass base.
Now the requirements of the audiences are changing and we see alterations in formats of TV shows. Change is constant and it is for betterment of all.