Zeeshan Ayyub of Raees fame feels that he’s much more than just ‘hero ka friend’

Mohammed Zeeshan Ayyub is not satisfied with the kind of roles he has been playing in Bollywood films over the last few years. Being the second fiddle to the lead actor or categorised as the supporting actor doesn’t attract Zeeshan much and he believes that if the right opportunity comes his way, he can do much more.

“In my recent films Raees and Tubelight, I’ve only played the role of hero’s friend. There’s a stagnancy in the kind of roles I have been offered; yet I try to play each of them differently,” says Zeeshan.

“Now, I have a command over playing such roles, but I don’t feel filmmakers have been able to exploit my talent completely,” adds the actor, who is looking forward to more challenging roles.

Zeeshan’s acting prowess was noticed when he played the antagonist in the 2011 film No One Killed Jessica, but it was the role of Murari [Dhanush’s best friend] in Raanjhanaa (2013) that gave him the much needed fame and recognition.

Gearing up to play a significant role in filmmaker Aanand L Rai’s next, where Shah Rukh Khan plays a dwarf, the 32-year-old actor is happy that people now easily recognise him. Recalling one such experience, Zeeshan says, “Once, I went out for lunch with my mom in a Delhi restaurant. I saw a girl staring at me for a long time. When I got up to leave, she came up to me and exclaimed that I look exactly like an actor called Zeeshan Ayyub, and that my voice also sounded like him. I laughed and went away without explaining!”