In bed with… { Aasif Khan } “I love writing shayari and am always cracking jokes!”
didn’t want to live in Mumbai. Now, after 10 years of working in this city, I’m based out of my hometown in Rajasthan,” actor Aasif Khan of web series Panchayat and Mirzapur, explains the unique arrangement. “And when producers call me up, I come to the city to sign the deal.”
But Aasif has had to trudge a long, hard road to get this privilege. He grew up in a small town in Rajasthan, and started looking for a job desperately after his father passed away. “I took up a job doing satta (betting), but got caught by the cops and my photograph appeared in the papers! When ammi was crying about it, I promised her she would feel proud the next time my name appeared in print,” says the actor who worked as a waiter in a Mumbai hotel before moving to Jaipur to do theatre. Back in the city, he joined a casting company and bagged a junior artiste job, before he finally landed a web series.
Aasif remains a fun-loving person. “I love writing shayari and I am always cracking jokes,” he chortles, confessing he began his career as a stand-up comedian, “I deliver my jokes with a poker face.”
List something no one knows about you?
When a meal placed in front of me is not to my taste, I watch food blogs about mutton or any other dishes that I fancy. I can then imagine the taste of the food being shown on screen, which helps me finish my meal. And, I prefer Indian toilets to the Western ones.
A health shot you swear by?
I drink buttermilk with all my meals. Of late, I have become more inclined towards fitness, so I’m drinking protein shakes too.
Do you go out for a boy’s night out? The best thing about living in a small town is that I don’t have to call my friends to ask if they are free. They land up at my door.
One relationship rule you follow? Faithfulness.
What do you do for your mental health?
I stay positive and keep away from people who give me a negative vibe. Doing namaaz gives me peace.
What’s the funniest thing that happened to you while performing?
It was on the sets of Mirzapur, when I was wielding a desi katta (gun) and it fell on my foot and went off! The sound was so loud that I forgot it was a fake and was stunned for five minutes.
Describe yourself in a hashtag. #unpredictablyquirky.
—Dinesh Raheja
In Bed With is a weekly column that puts personal questions to your favourite stars, and serves you a reminder: after Brunch on Sundays, it’s time to go back to bed!