ENTERTAINMENT

Iqbal Khan talks about why, in the last two years, he has been doing extended cameos in TV shows and not opted for historical and mythological serials

Iqbal Khan says he is loving the space he is in. Adds while TV is his bread and butter, he would like to explore the digital medium too.

Popular actor Iqbal Khan has of late stuck to playing extended cameos in TV shows including Waaris, Ek Tha Raja Ek Thi Rani (ETRETR), Kaal Bhairav Rahasya (KBR) and his current TV show that’s on the brink of conclusion. The actor’s last lead show was Pyaar Ko Ho Jaane Do, which ended in January 2016.

Ask him about the decision to do cameos in serials, and he says, “It wasn’t a planned move. In the last two years, I have got offers for many historical and mythological shows but things didn’t work out for me. Sometimes, it was the character offered, and other times, I wasn’t willing to stay out of the city for months on end for shooting. In TV, we get our scenes few hours before shoot. So, I was also concerned about doing justice

TV shows always work or don’t work because of the story. The reasons why a show ends can be multiple... Sure credible actors can bring in audiences but ultimately it is the story that matters the most.

IQBAL KHAN, ACTOR

to such roles.”

Does it affect his morale when the shows he stars in end sooner than expected? Iqbal says, “TV shows always work or don’t work because of the story. The reasons why a show ends can be multiple — either the story does not work, the makers want to take a time leap and actors refuse to be part of it, the story the makers want cannot be executed or the channel wants to change the story and it backfires. Sure credible actors can bring in audiences but ultimately it is the story that matters the most.”

Iqbal is also interested in pursuing work on the digital medium because not only can one experiment but also not “worry” about the issues that the small screen poses. “One need not worry about ratings, the story changing at the last hour, catering to certain type of audience or spoon feeding the audience. Not that I look down on TV as it is my primary bread and butter but you get space in digital, which is not the case on TV. There are some good makers in the digital space and I hope some good stuff comes my way,” says Iqbal.

While Iqbal has played positive roles, he enjoyed playing a negative role in KBR. He says, “I loved playing negative roles. I did one in ETRETR but it was grey rather than villainous but the KBR role was a crazy one. It was so different from what I am in real life that I enjoyed it. Goody-good roles are fine but a negative one is like fuel for one’s creativity,” he says.