Today's shows do not have strong roles for male characters- Iqbal Khan

Iqbal Khan with his trademark guitar created waves when he was introduced in Kaisa Yeh Pyaar Hai. The handsome hunk has carved a niche for himself ever since, and is now all set to stage a comeback to television after a hiatus of two years.

Here is Iqbal in a conversation with TellyBuzz wherein he talks of his forced break from TV for past two years, his experience shooting for a short film, about his new show on Zee TV and much more..

Tell us something about your character in your comeback show on Zee, Sanjog Se Bani Sangini..
Rudr is a man of few words; he is an angry guy who is in love. He has a fear of losing his love, so is a bit sensitive too.

What were you doing for the past two years?
Frankly speaking, I have not been doing anything for the past two years. There was nothing interesting happening in my life. And I am not a type of guy who will want to be in the limelight saying, 'tyre puncture hogaya, kutta beemar ho gaya'. Apart from that I traveled a lot, both in and out of India, wrote stuff, even made a short film and showcased it in many film festivals.

Could you tell us something about your short film?
Yes I made a short film that was directed and scripted by me. I even acted in the same. It was titled 'Screw that Grass on the other side'. It's a mockery of people who think that life in hills, villages and small towns is much better than life in metros and vice versa. For this film I shot in the beautiful locales of Kashmir, Delhi, Chandigarh, Kasauli etc. I was even supposed to go to the Indian Film Festival, but things didn't work out, as I have begun shooting for the show.

And what was the idea behind it?
It was more out of self-interest. It is only when you work behind the camera, you get to know a lot of things about the pre-production and post-production stuff. Also, you get a hands-on experience of managing the whole process. So, it was just to gain experience. A lot of money went in to it, and we shot some good stuff.

Why did you take a break from television?
It was not intentional. My journey in TV had started way back, and in this span of time shows have changed from the regular soaps to the ones carrying a social message. It also needed the actors to work on different languages and dialects. Even though that was a welcome change, I thought I didn't fit in there. Above all, I don't think that today's shows have a strong role for male characters.

There has lot been written about Sangini being a Devdas. Can your character be compared to the iconic one?
See, the fact that guy takes up to drinking after losing his love is a very small point. I don't think that it should even be compared to Devdas. Actually in the show, the guy loves a girl who ditches him. He then takes to drinking after which another girl comes into his life. Sangini comes across as a very regular story, and you cannot put it into the Devdas category.

Tell us something about the characters in the show?
The main character is very brutal, he's a rich man and Aroona Irani is playing the mother's role. The family, especially the mom and dad, have always neglected their son Rudr. The father is always busy taking care of his business, while the mother is always busy doing stuff of her own. Everything is related to business whether it's relationship or love. So, my character is deprived of love and longs for it.

What about Binny Sharma your co-actor, how is the experience working with her?
Binny is a good actor; she doesn't come across as a newcomer at all. She is pretty good, much better than how I was in my first show.

Tell us something about the locations where the shooting for the show took place?
Yeah, we have been shooting all over the place; we shot in Haridwar, Hrishikesh, Mussorrie, Haryana, Delhi, Saputara – a place in Gujarat and many more.

Will we see you hosting a show in the near future?
I am not a very loud person; I can't really anchor a show. I don't see myself doing that.

And what about reality shows, will you ever participate in any?
Actually I am a very private person, and also very shy. The problem is not with the reality shows, it is just that I cannot do it because of the nature I have.

Are you a football fan?
I am not a football fan at all. Although, I used to play a lot of football in school, so much so that during summers we were forced to be on field and it was extremely tiring.

How have you managed to keep yourself fit in the past two years?
Since childhood, I have loved to maintain myself and aim to be fit always. I love to workout even now.

What do you do when you are free?
When I am working, I work with all my sincerity and honesty. But during my free time I do whatever my wife wishes me to do.

Tell us one thing that nobody knows about you?
I am a very shy person, and that I love dogs and my wife hates them.

Reporter and Author: Ranjini Nair