Zeeshan is okay with limited visibility provided role is good
It is natural to assume that screen time is at the top of an actor’s list of requisites for choosing a role, but that doesn’t go for everybody. Mohammed Zeeshan Ayyub, for instance, cares more about how well the part is etched out. Be it a 20-minute role in Article 15 or 10-minute cameo in Mission Mangal, Zeeshan has experimented with his characters without thinking too much about screen time.
“More than the screen time, what matters to me is my character and the screenplay. I’ve had a longer screen time in some of my films but I don’t get much to do in those scenes. Whereas, in some films, despite having a shorter screen presence, it was an integral role. Till the time your work is getting appreciated irrespective of the visibility, I’m okay with it,” he says.
Zeeshan, who began his career playing a negative character in No One Killed Jessica (2011), and has played supporting roles in films such as Mere Brother Ki Dulhan (2011), Raanjhanaa (2013), and Tanu Weds Manu Returns (2015), doesn’t try to “foresee” how his role comes out in a film. “Sometimes you’re there for comic relief or just become a tool for the hero who supports him or makes him understand,” he says.
In a career spanning eight years with around two dozen films to his credit, the 36-yearold strongly believes in following his heart and putting honesty and hard work in one’s work. “Once that reflects in your performance, and is noticed, too, you get more work. I never make calculated decisions and socialising in the circuit in order to get lead roles. I feel it is a waste of time and people feel mentally disturbed because of this. But I live in the moment and take up what I find interesting,” says the actor.
Sometimes you’re there for comic relief or to be a tool for the hero who supports him or makes him understand.
MOHAMMED ZEESHAN AYYUB ACTOR