Imran Zahid, who has acted in several plays based on the director Mahesh Bhattfilms, including ‘Earth’, ‘Daddy’ and ‘Hamari Adhuri Kahani‘, and played a narcotics detective in ‘Jism 2’ and finally Kamal Chandra’s ‘Ab Dilli Dur Nahin, Imran Zahid He plays the lead role in the social drama film, which follows the rise of Abhay Shukla, a small town boy in Bihar. Hailing from a family struggling with hardships, Abhay begins his journey to Delhi with the intention of appearing for the IAS exam. Abhay’s whole endeavor is to enable his family to come out of the clutches of poverty. In a candid chat with ETimes, Emraan talks about the USP of ‘Ab Dilli Door Nahi’, his role, Mahesh Bhatt’s special appearance and how he considers Bhatt sahab as his mentor.
What attracted you to make a film on the life of Govind Jaiswal?
The film is inspired by the life of Govind Jaiswal. We had done a play on a similar plot and during that time we had seen many such inspiring stories and interviews, but Govind Jaiswal’s talk touched my heart, so we arranged his number and called him. I told him that we wanted to create a story inspired by some incidents in his life. He shared all his life experiences and listening to his stories, I felt his humility and innocence despite being on such a big post. That’s how we developed the script and came up with the character, Abhay, a small town boy from Bihar who aspires to become an IAS officer. Throughout the making of this film, we took his insights and interviewed his family wherever necessary.
How did you prepare for the role? Was it challenging to play this character?
As an actor, one needs to understand the nuances of that character. Additionally, I have completed my education from North Campus, University of Delhi. That entire area and the surrounding places are known as ‘IAS Zone’ as many UPSC aspirants live there. So, one can say that I have been with many UPSC aspirants, and it helped me a lot to watch and prepare for my role in the film. It was challenging to bring the grit and dedication of a civil services aspirant while playing this role.
Mahesh Bhatt is also doing a cameo in the film and you have been associated with him for a long time.
He has brought me in this industry. He is like my mentor and whatever and wherever I am today, all the credit goes to him. He has been a source of light in this journey and has always kept me under his wing. We did many stage plays and shows together. We also adapted some of his films into stage plays and performed them. He was always like a shadow and guided me through my life like a father figure.
How did Mahesh Bhatt come on board to play a supporting role?
Bhatt Sahab is playing the role of a TV host and motivational speaker who interviews the protagonist, played by me, after he becomes an IAS officer. While discussing with our creative advisor and friend Sohita Das, we thought of Mahesh Bhatt sir for the role. Then we requested him to make a guest appearance in our film as it would be a kind of inspiration for me as he is my mentor. So we got him on the ship.
What is the USP of this film?
The USP of the film is that it is a story of grit of a common man, which everyone can relate to. I think it is very important to showcase content that the audience can relate to and get inspired by. Our film is the story of a small town boy who was bullied for his big dreams but made them possible with his determination and perseverance. It is a film that instills hope in the hearts of people and encourages them to take action towards their dreams.
What attracted you to make a film on the life of Govind Jaiswal?
The film is inspired by the life of Govind Jaiswal. We had done a play on a similar plot and during that time we had seen many such inspiring stories and interviews, but Govind Jaiswal’s talk touched my heart, so we arranged his number and called him. I told him that we wanted to create a story inspired by some incidents in his life. He shared all his life experiences and listening to his stories, I felt his humility and innocence despite being on such a big post. That’s how we developed the script and came up with the character, Abhay, a small town boy from Bihar who aspires to become an IAS officer. Throughout the making of this film, we took his insights and interviewed his family wherever necessary.
How did you prepare for the role? Was it challenging to play this character?
As an actor, one needs to understand the nuances of that character. Additionally, I have completed my education from North Campus, University of Delhi. That entire area and the surrounding places are known as ‘IAS Zone’ as many UPSC aspirants live there. So, one can say that I have been with many UPSC aspirants, and it helped me a lot to watch and prepare for my role in the film. It was challenging to bring the grit and dedication of a civil services aspirant while playing this role.
Mahesh Bhatt is also doing a cameo in the film and you have been associated with him for a long time.
He has brought me in this industry. He is like my mentor and whatever and wherever I am today, all the credit goes to him. He has been a source of light in this journey and has always kept me under his wing. We did many stage plays and shows together. We also adapted some of his films into stage plays and performed them. He was always like a shadow and guided me through my life like a father figure.
How did Mahesh Bhatt come on board to play a supporting role?
Bhatt Sahab is playing the role of a TV host and motivational speaker who interviews the protagonist, played by me, after he becomes an IAS officer. While discussing with our creative advisor and friend Sohita Das, we thought of Mahesh Bhatt sir for the role. Then we requested him to make a guest appearance in our film as it would be a kind of inspiration for me as he is my mentor. So we got him on the ship.
What is the USP of this film?
The USP of the film is that it is a story of grit of a common man, which everyone can relate to. I think it is very important to showcase content that the audience can relate to and get inspired by. Our film is the story of a small town boy who was bullied for his big dreams but made them possible with his determination and perseverance. It is a film that instills hope in the hearts of people and encourages them to take action towards their dreams.