Pakistani actor Bilal Abbas Khan says he recently binge-watched the Indian web series Mirzapur and admits his all-time favorite film is Chak De! India, adding that Bollywood superstar Shah Rukh Khan inspires him to become a better actor.
“While it is quite tough for me to choose one actor or film that inspires me the most, as an artiste I would say that observing the performances of several Indian actors inspires me,” Bilal, who recently appeared in the web series Ek Jhooti Love Story, told IANS.
“If you ask me my current favourite, I watched the new season of the web series Mirzapur, and I just loved the story and the acting of the actors in the show. They are such fine performers. Watching such good acting inspires us actors to refine our craft. I was waiting for the release of the show and when it did, I watched it at one go! I loved Mirzapur!”
On his favourite actor, he said, laughing: “Obviously Shah Rukh Khan, yeh koi poochhne ki baat hai (is there even a doubt)? I love Shah Rukh! There are several films that I loved watching SRK in but my all-time favourite is Chak De! India. When I watched the film, I hasn’t even started working. His performance and character were too good!”
The Pakistani webs series Ek Jhoothi Love Story is directed by Mehreen Jabbar and also features Madiha Imam, Mohammad, Mariam Saleem, Kinza Razzak, and Beo Zafar. Even as the show streams in India, Bilal is preparing for his new project, Abdullahpur Ka Devdas.
Sharing details of his new project, he said: “It is a male-centric love story in which I am playing the title role of Devdas. The story is set in a village named Abdullahpur.”
Did he watch SRK’s Devdas for inspiration? “I watched Devdas but my character is different, so there is no reference point. SRK’s Devdas is on a different level altogether,” he replied.
Does he feel lucky to play a Devdas on-screen like SRK? “Well, I am an SRK fan and I like him, I am also playing a character named Devdas, ye sachcha fanhood hai (this is true fanhood),” Bilal laughed.
Ek Jhoothi Love Story streams on the OTT platform Zee5.