From playing the college lecturer in the 1989 campus serial Chunauti to the aging suspicious loyal Pakistani house-help in Meghna Gulzar’s hit Raazi, actor Arif Zakaria has come a long way. He says the Alia Bhatt-starrer has taught him the importance of being a part of a successful film.
“Time has just flown by. My passion for acting remains undiminished. I am still very active, though the roles in films have lately been a few and far between. I’ve done interesting parts in Vikram Bhatt’s Haunted and an upcoming film on Down’s Syndrome, Ahaan. I also play a key role in a new Rani Laxmibai biopic... No, not the one featuring Kangana Ranaut. This is another film entitled Swords and Sceptres,” said Zakaria.
It is his role as Abdul, the staunchly loyal retainer in Raazi, that has once again brought Zakaria’s powerful acting skills into the limelight.
“It is difficult to say what would work and what wouldn’t. But Raazi has made me realise how important it is to be part of a successful film. Only when a film succeeds, does your performance get noticed. I am so glad I did this film,” he said.
So how did Raazi happen?
“When I approached Meghna, she told me Abdul was the role for me. It was an important character because through Abdul, the protagonist’s true identity (of an Indian spy) is exposed,” he said.
Zakaria also features in a controversial biopic on Guru Nanak.
“It is produced by Harinder Sikka, who wrote the novel Calling Sehmat which is the source material for the film Raazi. The film has offended some sections of the Sikhs. So I don’t know what’s happening to it,” Zakaria added.
He refuses to see Raazi as a new beginning in his career.
“I never stopped acting. I am constantly searching for roles that challenge me. I am currently doing a play Gardish Mein Sitare, which explores the marriage of filmmaker Guru Dutt with singer Geeta Dutt. I love portraying dark and unfathomable characters... The darker the better,” he said.
