Actor Eijaz Khan is all set to enthrall the audience yet again with his character of Inspector Wasim Khan in 'City of Dreams' Season 3. The web series will premiere on Disney+Hotstar on May 26. The show also stars Atul Kulkarni, Sachin Pilgaonkar and Priya Bapat among others in pivotal roles.
Eijaz got a lot of attention for his stellar performance in the previous seasons of the Nagesh Kukunoor directorial. Ahead of the release of the Season 3, I had a Zoom conversation with the actor where he opened up on the show, his character, his off-screen bond with Priya Bapat, and a lot more. Excerpts from the candid chat:
You are reprising the role of Inspector Wasim Khan. So, what’s in store for this character especially in 'City of Dreams' Season 3?
If I say from Wasim Khan's perspective, he was an outsider to political drama and to the political family in the first two seasons. He had a very clear picture of what was going on with them. He tried to be a part of the political family but because of the culmination of Season 2 where you see Poornima Gaikwad loses her son. Wasim himself has a daughter. So, he is also completely shattered and heartbroken. That leads him to take a particular decision in his life. You see Wasim Khan donning the khaki again and saluting to his superiors in one of the shots in the trailer. So, wait and watch if he is back in the khaki or a successful politician now.
Your character happens to be Poormina Gaikwad's most trusted ally. How was your off-screen chemistry with her and your working experience?
My off-screen chemistry with everyone is zero because on set I am in my zone. The ADs (assistant directors) are instructed not to trouble me and let me be myself. Nobody talks to me. The only person I talk to is Nagesh Kukunoor. The only other person who is brave enough to speak with me is Elahe (Hiptoola) ma'am. Apart from that Priya and I were very very guarded in the first two seasons. We were not friends. I think finally in Season 3, we became friends. More than anything it is because of the character growth of Poornima and Wasim, they are confidantes. It's only in front of Wasim, Poornima can drop her guard down and be vulnerable. Otherwise, she has to portray this fearless politician. Not that she is not but she has to be this strong, fearless politician all the time. So, there was a growth in our relationship also and Priya is a lot of fun to work with. Lately, she has harassed me to make reels with her. So, yeah we have a fun banter going on. She is lots of fun to be on set with. But I try to stay away from fun stuff as I feel it takes away from my character.
This is the third season. Playing the same character for so many years now, does it drain you physically or mentally or do you take it as a challenge?
Playing any character is a challenge. All you have to do is play that character as authentically as possible in that justified scene. Having said that, there are some new challenges that have come up with playing one particular character seasonally over a period of five years. There is no rulebook or nobody has taught that in drama school. Some challenges have come and sometimes we end up mimicking what we have done in the previous seasons and sometimes end up thinking, I, Wasim Khan reacted this way and in this season also he should but it's not necessary. It's written such purely and beautifully that we don't have to worry about it. It is written in so much detail that it really helps us.
Now, we know the character so well that we have honest discussions. There are some arguments also that happen but Nagesh Sir not only has directed the series but has also written it. So, he knows exactly what the character has to do in a particular scene because the character has to take a tangent to reach a certain point in the script. So, trust is completely on him and he is the guiding force and can't go wrong.
Talking about Nagesh Kukunoor, he is such a great director. What was the biggest learning from him?
He has an eye for detail. He is that one director and the most unique thing about him is that he will dissect your emotions to the T, so clearly and concisely and he will say, 'You flicked your eyes at this point and then look down, then you half smile and then let your breath out, you took an indecisive breath to say this. I like that choice. Don't breathe out, say it together'. So, somebody with so much attention to detail, I think can never go wrong. That's my biggest takeaway working with him. You can't be too particular. Sometimes you have to let go and trust the process but most of the time if you are that particular you can never go wrong.
What do you have to say about the OTT giving more opportunities to newcomers in the industry? How has it helped you on a personal level?
The kind of characters that have been offered to me I never imagined that I could be on such a broad spectrum that the directors and producers could think of me in this role. Because there is so much diverse content being created it's very exciting for any actor, especially for someone like me.
Secondly, with the advent of newcomers, oh my God, they are a breath of fresh air. Every newcomer that has come is not a newcomer because they have done their homework. We learned by getting guidance with whatever we could. Now I am working with...or even whenever I ended up working with good filmmakers, I learned as much as possible. Now, the boys and girls are going to drama schools, the right workshops. There is so much knowledge everywhere especially on social media, on YouTube, etc. You get the right guidance and you can't fake it till you make it anymore. I don't think so. The audience sees through it and they also know that. Hats off to some of the newcomers. I have worked with some of them and have learned from them also.
