t_chhaya@dnaindia.net
Often seen in negative roles either on the TV or on the big screen, actor Shabir Ahluwalia has no doubt created a niche for himself. Whether it was playing the role of 'Rishi' in Kahiin to Hoga or 'Milind Mishra' in Kayamath or for that matter even playing 'RC' in Shootout at Lokhandwala, this actor has caught our attention.
He will now be seen essaying the role of an Afghan terrorist in his second Bollywood film, Mission Istanbul. Shabir says, "This is the first time I'm taking on such a dark persona. 'Khaleel,' the character that I portray, is a hardcore bad guy, the kind that is born so and not moulded due to circumstances."
But we wonder how the actor would have prepared for this role? He says, "I watched a lot of videos, case studies on terrorists and kept abreast with the news to know more about their lives. Since, one's knowledge about terrorists is limited to what is shown on TV and the Internet, I portrayed my character according to what I had built him up in my imagination."
Donning a 'dark' guise did not stop Shabir from having a ball while shooting for the film. He says, "Viveik (Oberoi) and Zayed (Khan) are great guys and co-star. We gelled very well." While they were not shooting, Shabir and Zayed played video games and hung around together in Turkey. Seems like a good friendship is brewing here!
Although in the past this actor has often been paired with many stars, he now claims to be, "happily single." Though there's nothing much happening in his life (or so he claims), this actor is busy reading a couple of scripts but, tells us that he hasn't finalized on anything yet. As for good friend Ekta Kapoor's new production, Mahabharat, Shabir says, "As of now, nothing has been formally told to me about a role in the series. So, I
can't say much."
