According to actor Mohammed Zeeshan Ayyub, playing a silent character is tougher than being chatty on screen. “In such times, you communicate with your eyes. You can’t overact, especially when there’s little to say,” the actor says. And Dr Raj Nagpal (played by Ayyub) is literally a man of few words, with little dialogue in the show.
Dr Nagpal, is also a complex man; he is one of the prominent characters of the OTT series streaming on JioHotstar, Criminal Justice Season 4: A Family Matter. The drama follows lawyer Madhav Mishra (Pankaj Tripathi) as he takes on the case of Dr Nagpal, accused of killing his daughter’s caretaker, Roshni (Asha Negi). The series centers on love, suspicion, justice and a raw family conflict.
Ayyub, known for his performances in films like Article 15 and Scoop, was drawn to this role after reading the script. “Sameer Nair (producer of the series) and I were already talking about working together. When this came to me, I read the script and liked it. I said yes,” the actor tells TMS.
Acting in silence
Having played the role of a doctor, Ayyub believes that portraying the emotional depth of the character matters more than just the technical side. “Being a doctor is not that important. It’s more important to understand the emotions the character is going through. How to hold a scalpel and all is needed, but the core is understanding him,” he says.
In 2011, the actor hit the screens with Raj Kumar Gupta’s No One Killed Jessica. The movie features Sabrina Lal (played by Vidya Balan) and a journalist, Meera (Rani Mukherjee), as they fight for justice after Sabrina’s sister, Jessica, is murdered in a real-life tragedy that took place in Delhi. Since then, he has experimented with a variety of roles to break away from being typecast.
Ayyub is always open to roles that excites him. “If I see potential in any character, I’m always up for doing it,” he says. Moreover, he is particularly keen to explore “more of negative characters”. The reason is he hasn’t done many of them and wants to try more of such roles.
Not easy to break into OTT
When asked about the current state of the OTT industry, he expresses concern. “I don’t think the OTT industry is booming. It has brought out many stars — I’m lucky to be one of them — but a lot of projects are being shelved and that’s alarming,” he remarks. “It’s become harder than ever to enter the industry. Still, I hope those trying to find a way in, don’t lose hope.”
During the filming, one of the most memorable moments for Ayyub was shooting the jail sequence when Dr Nagpal is visited by his mother and daughter (in prison). The scene felt “different” and quite “special” to Ayyub. “There’s an internal struggle in the character,” he explains. “His daughter is in front of him, so he has to hide his pain. Therefore, due to the push and pull of emotions, the scene was both challenging and enjoyable.”
Stage to screen
A Bachelor of Science graduate, Mohammed Zeeshan Ayyub was initially far from considering a career in acting. Although his parents came from a theatre background, they kept him away from the stage. It was only after he stumbled upon an acting workshop at Kirori Mal College that he felt an instant connection to the world of theatre and performing arts. Recalling those early days, the 41-year-old artist says, “Those two hours (at the workshop) were the happiest ones. I started looking forward to them every day. The atmosphere there was beautiful; it just took me in and motivated me to pursue acting.”
Though hesitant at first, Ayyub’s father eventually embraced his son’s passion for performing arts and encouraged him to join the National School Of Drama (NSD).
In 2017, Ayyub and his wife, Rasika Agashe, who is also an actress by profession, launched a theatre initiative called Sanhita Manch to encourage new writing in Hindi theatre. “It all started with Rasika wondering why no one was writing anything new in Hindi theatre,” the NSD graduate says. “She decided to take the lead and a theatre competition was announced.” The first edition received 80 to 90 entries, and since then, the initiative has continued to grow. “We later added more languages like English and Marathi, and efforts are on to include more,” he said. Ayyub gives full credit for the theatre platform to Agashe. “It is all Rasika’s effort. She deserves all the credit,” he says.
Looking back on his debut days, the actor recalls how he had watched Aamir (2008), directed by Raj Kumar Gupta, just three months before landing the audition for No One Killed Jessica. Over the years, he has worked with a range of talented co-actors. “Our responsibilities as actors are changing,” Ayyub remarks, stressing that it’s important to keep learning and adapting one’s approach to every new role.
‘Criminal Justice Season 4: A Family Matter,’ is currently streaming on JioHotstar