Director Hansal Mehta's instructions were clear. Make Imran Siddiqui, the principled editor of his OTT show “Scoop”, human and not preachy. It was the “biggest task”, says actor Mohammed Zeeshan Ayyub of his much acclaimed role as an upright journalist who speaks of truth and honesty.
"Scoop" follows Jagruti Pathak (Karishma Tanna), a star crime reporter at a Mumbai newspaper who makes headlines after she is accused of her rival Jaideb Sen's (Prosenjit Chatterjee) murder and finds support in her level headed, soft spoken editor Imran.
The Netflix show is inspired by journalist Jigna Vora’s memoir, “Behind the Bars In Byculla: My Days in Prison”.
According to Zeeshan, Jagruti Pathak is the protagonist and centre of the story but Imran is the hero as he represents everything the show is trying to convey.
"Hansal told me just one thing: You have to make him human. Someone talking about truth and honesty and not sounding boring... Making him human was the biggest task. Hansal said, 'He should look human and feel like someone you know. Then only we will get through what he is saying and that would be the big reason for the success of the show’," Zeeshan told PTI in an interview.
Mehta and Zeeshan were both concerned Imran should not appear boring on screen. The kind of language the character uses is "very academic" and he comes across as a man of "ethics and principles", said the actor.
"The fear was that... people start thinking, 'Arrey yaar, ye gyan de raha hai' (he is preachy). That's a problem because as a society our attention span is short. We like small things and someone trying to make you understand something, it becomes difficult in these times," the 39-year-old said.
The actor, known to be outspoken on social media with his comments on hot button political issues, said he agreed with everything that Imran says in the show and that is also a big reason for Mehta to cast him in the role.
"Hansal told me, 'I want you to bring your reading and your thoughts to the table and then we will design the character'... He said, 'We know there won't be a problem of bringing the truth because you agree with him and you also have a spine'. But he is not Zeeshan’."
They had to work on the body language to bring in the age, calmness and authority that the character possesses. And both Mehta and Zeeshan also agreed that Imran should never shout.
"There is so much noise around... Everyone is shouting, has their opinions, agendas and propagandas... In the middle of that noise, there is this one person who is calm and talks sense, and talks about something that our conditioning has given us, at least for our generation and even after that,” Zeeshan said.
The actor, who started his cinematic journey in 2011 with "No One Killed Jessica", loves that his dialogues in "Scoop" have become viral on social media. The appreciation coming his way, he said, felt like he had made his debut all over again.
"Most people want a boss like Imran. I hope they get one. We also need it as a country," he said.
"All the praise that I have received in the last 10-12 years, I think it has accumulated in 'Scoop'. I thought I was working in this industry for so many years but now suddenly it feels like I have done something for the first time. I don't want to name names but I have received so many calls from different people," said the actor, known for "Raanjhanaa", "Shahid", "Article 15" and "Raees".
"Scoop" also marks the first time Zeeshan and his wife Rasika Agashe have worked together on a series though they have always collaborated in their stage endeavours. Agashe plays an abusive prison guard in the series.
They did not share the screen and shot their parts in different locations, but being on the show together made it extra special, he said.
"I got one of the best compliments from my wife. She was like 'I don't know this man that's on the screen', so that was really great to hear. My brothers are calling me, my cousins, everyone is so happy. I spoke to my mother. She is right now in Australia with my elder brother and she just started crying looking at the response and reading it. It feels like I have done something for the family also," the actor said.
The long format has worked in Zeeshan's favour with actors playing prominent roles in shows such as "Tandav", "A Simple Murder" and "Rangbaaz".
"I think OTT has been a blessing for me, it has given me more opportunities, but after a point, I was getting stuck there too. In the middle, I started joking that 'Let me get a cop uniform stitched for real'. I was getting so many offers that I thought I will bring my own uniform and they will just need to change the badges...
"But credit to Netflix, Hansal Mehta and Mukesh Chhabra (casting director) for having the trust to cast me in this character. So, this also came from OTT. They could have easily gone for some star," he said.
The actor has a busy year ahead with multiple shows and movies lined up for release. These include "Joram", "Haddi", "KD", "Sam Bahadur" and "Lal Batti".
