‘Want to begin my career with Kannada industry because I belong here’

Meet Zaid Khan, the new hero in Kannada cinema. Son of politician Zameer Ahmed, Zaid is not only carving a niche for himself but also wants to create his own identity, right from his first film. By his own account, the newbie met at least 60 directors before he locked a script with director Jayathirtha B V. 

“Yes, my first project will be by Jayathirtha. However, everything will be taken forward after a month. I am waiting for Ramzan to get over, after which I will sit with the director for the script. Three months post that, we will go on floors with the project. This is likely to be in August,” says Zaid, in his first interview with Cinema Express.

The fresher, who was trained at Anupam Kher’s acting school, says he was supposed to be launched three years ago. “Fortunately or unfortunately, the directors and I could not come to terms with the subject, until Jayathirtha’s script came through,” he says, adding that every filmmaker he met before was also good, however, their wavelengths did not match. “I think an actor and director should be like husband and wife - there should be an understanding between them. Only then can we see their work pay off on screen. There were directors who had good scripts but no good productional backup. I don’t have any knowledge of production, so I didn’t want to take risk. Some others didn’t even have content,” he explains.

So, what was it about Jayathirtha that Khan agreed to be a part of the project? “I knew Jayathirtha before Bell Bottom, but we hadn’t interacted much. But when I saw Bell Bottom, I thought he was enthusiastic and creative. When I met him, I was happy to have found a director who understands me,” he says. Zaid adds that Jayathirtha offered him a couple of options and the two eventually agreed on one they thought would suit him best.

This upcoming talent has also been trained in Kannada and Hindi diction. Since the past four months, he has also gotten actively involved with body building. He adds that he had all the opportunities to be launched in Bollywood, but was keen to begin his career in the Kannada industry. “This is where I belong. I have been watching Kannada films, and I see some meaningful stories in the industry. I always believe, ‘Content doesn’t want a star. It wants a story’. I want to be part of good scripts and I want people to find something unique in me. Not my background or where I come from. I am hoping my films will speak for me,” he says.