Collaborations often lead to deep friendships. For Gopal Dutt, his long-standing relationship with stand-up comic Zakir Khan was a key reason to join Aapka Apna Zakir. The actor serves as one of the performers on the comedy show. Having previously worked with Khan on Farzi Mushaira (2022) and Chacha Vidhayak Hain Humare (2018-24), among others, Dutt says his familiarity with the team and the fascinating content was a major draw. “When Zakir told me such a show was happening, I just had to do it. Television has an exciting pace and I hadn’t explored it yet,” says Dutt.

 A show like Aapka Apna Zakir relies as much on the writing as it does on the performers. Dutt says that the actors often sit down with the writers to add to the material. “There is a big writers’ room; they create a structure. In the reading session, we add our inputs and improvise. They create the characters and the performer adds his bit and personality to the content.”