Srinagar, June 12: Aasif Sheikh is a well-known name in the Indian entertainment industry, having essayed a variety of roles in films, theatre and television for more than three decades.
From playing the role of Prince Ajay Singh in the popular television serial Hum Log in the early 1990s, Sheikh has made appearances in several Hindi films and TV serials, including “Yes Boss” (from 1999 to 2009) and the sitcom “Bhabiji Ghar Par Hain” (2014 to present)
He has entered the World Book of Records London for performing over 300 different characters in “Bhabiji Ghar Par Hain”.
Brighter Kashmir met him while he was on a holiday with his family in Srinagar.
Sheikh said he started his acting career in theatre from Delhi.
“If you remember the popular television soap serial “Hum Log”, I played an important role in it, that of Prince Ajay Singh. My journey in theatre started from there. From there I went to Mumbai and performed in another TV serial called “Ajoobe”. After that there was a lull, there was no work. I struggled to survive in Bombay (now Mumbai) for about two years and then returned to Delhi,” Sheikh told BK editor-in-chief Farooq Wani.
After working for some time in films and finding things were not working out to his satisfaction, Sheikh said that he took a decision to move into TV.
“Before leaving Mumbai, I had left my profile and photographs with a couple of offices and they called me for auditions. I got a break in a film “Rama O Rama” which was released in 1989-90. That was my debut film. Thereafter, I played the role of a hero in six or seven films, but nothing really worked out,” he said.
“There was a gap for about two years where I had no work, but I kept pushing myself and slowly and steadily started doing cameo roles, negative roles. I played the role of a villain in the film ‘Karan Arjun’. In fact, I played the villain in several films after that till it reached a saturation point and I took a break from it,” he added.
“I got several offers from television around that time and decided to do them. There was a serial titled “Tanha” which had an Indo-Pak connection as it was written by Haseena Moin. The serial had actors from Pakistan. I shot that show and then I realized that television is a medium which gives you respectability as an actor…moving towards television was a gradual process,” Sheikh told BK.
Talking about the serial “Bhabiji Ghar Par Hain”, Sheikh described it as “a pathbreaker”.
“It became an overnight success and has been running for the last seven-and-a-half years,” he said.
“When the show started, there were four main characters – two bhabhijis, myself and Rohtash. In serials of this genre, there is the possibility of an actor mouthing one-liners that are similar throughout. But I was fortunate that I was able to do different roles. I have done 350 characters so far and it has been an exciting and satisfying time for me as an actor, always looking forward to doing something fresh and new,” he revealed.
When asked how much of a say did a director or an actor have in performing a role, Sheikh said, “The director’s role is very important in a serial. First and foremost, the director has to trust you as an actor; as someone who can deliver what is asked of him for a particular character.”
“I credit both director Shashank Bali and writer Manoj Santoshi for giving my career the boost that it required. There is a consistency in the roles that I have performed. If you are repeating a character or a dialogue, fatigue can set in quite easily, but that has not been so in my case,” he added.
As to how he would like to describe his experience in films, television and theatre, Sheikh said, “Every stream has its exclusivity and excitement. I am very fortunate to have experienced all three and am still involved in all three. If I were to talk about my life, I would like to say that “I like raising the bar. I need to motivate myself.”
He further said that while in theatre you get time to prepare for a role, that privilege is not available to you in television.
“When I get a new character; the writer informs me about the role that I have to play. The writer sows the seed in my mind well in advance and asks me to work on it – right from what kind of shoes I will be wearing, clothes I will be wearing, the kind of look to be portrayed, hairstyle, how I will be directed, the lingo I will be using, etc., I keep working on it, fine tune it, record it, etc. I get totally involved in the character,” Sheikh told BK in the interview.
“In ‘Bhabiji Ghar Par Hain’, I am simply performing the role of a flirt, but the character has so many nuances which makes the role exciting. I take inputs from the writer, creative director, and whoever else is involved,” he added.
Sharing the names of well-known actors, actresses and directors he has worked with, Sheikh listed people like Anupam Kher, Dimple Kapadia, Shahrukh Khan, Ramesh Sippy, etc.
“I have never been belittled as an actor. Whoever I have worked with has been very supportive, encouraging. I don’t have a complex if someone is a better or a greater actor than me. I am just interested in establishing my space,” he said.
“There is no question of being underestimated or undervalued. All actors in the industry work together with bonhomie and in the right spirit as everyone knows that at the end of the day the play, the serial, or the film has to work, be saleable and acceptable to the audience for them to get noticed for more work,” he stated further.
“It is teamwork, there are actors, there are directors, and the creative team, the supporting cast etc. are all involved. It’s not restricted only to the main actors. Everybody is equally important. I have just wanted to be an actor. God has given me this opportunity to be one and I have enjoyed the struggle, the process. It has been one stair at a time for me,” Sheikh said
He also talked about the so-called “casting couch”, describing it as a subjective issue.
“I have never experienced it, but then where isn’t there exploitation? It exists in every sphere. I have given my 100 percent to my role as an actor, be it in theatre, television or cinema. I have not allowed that zeal to perform to die and I still get excited by it all,” he revealed.
When asked about the Kashmir- Bollywood connection and how he was enjoying his first visit to the Valley with his family, Asif described it as “amazing”
“I have been here for the last six or seven days. It is a memory to be cherished for the rest of my life. It is simply heaven on earth. People are wonderful, hospitable and are really very giving. They look up to you,” he said.
“Wherever I have gone – Srinagar, Gulmarg, Pahalgam - we have been welcomed with open arms. I was surprised to see people here aware of the serials or films I am working in. That we (from Mumbai) have not come to Kashmir earlier, I really feel we have missed out. Kashmir is beautiful, the people are beautiful. Everyone should plan a visit. They should shoot their films here because there isn’t a more beautiful place than this all over India,” Aasif said.
He concluded by saying that initially his family and he were planning to go to Turkey, but then decided on going to Kashmir.
“This is a lifetime experience. I was planning to go to Turkey with the family, but then we decided on Kashmir and this has been one of my life’s best experiences. I would like to come again and again to Kashmir. I am an actor, love being one and want to die playing the role of an actor.”
Aasif was all praise for the owner of ‘Best View Resorts’ houseboats, Farooq Ahmad Katroo, whom he terms as the most hospitable person he ever met.