Zeeshan Ayyub on being vocal about the industry: ‘I won’t shy away'

Put Mohammed Zeeshan Ayyub in any role and he owns it mdash yet he doesnrsquot map out wins or losses he tells midday Itrsquos been a packed year he opened with the Abhishek Bachchanstarrer Kaalidhar Laapata followed by Chandan Arorarsquos Kanneda and Criminal Justice A Family Matter with Pankaj Tripathi Now as the year closes he returns as a coach in SonyLIVrsquos Real Kashmir Football Club Still close with the cast and crew a year on Ayyub recalls meeting Shamim Meraj mdash the man who inspired his role explains why sports stories matter and how the series weaves Kashmirrsquos sociopolitical reality into its themeExcerpts from the interviewWhat drew you to your first sports dramaAfter Chhalaang 2020 this is my first sports series and itrsquos about a football club Itrsquos based on a real life story one I got to know only after meeting the director and producer The fact that I didnrsquot know anything about it actually excited me to be part of the project It is a story of hope and inspirationDo you think sportsbased shows can encourage people to be resilientI think sports is a very important part of any culture because it develops the temperament of people especially football I watch and love the sport a lot In most sports if you have one excellent player then heshe is compensating for others But in football everyone has to be on their toes and play as a team If you have even two or three weak links your team suffers Sports definitely inspires people it also connects and brings them closerDoes the story resonate universally or is it regionspecificI think it will resonate with everyone and it needs to That is the beauty of this story You can see the real people in Kashmir their resilience and the way sports connects them because the youth in Kashmir also face the same problems that anyone around the world faces They are trying to do something with their lives trying to achieve something and earn bread for the family They have passion and energy The club channelises that energy and gives the youth a target and ambition it brings respect to all of them It is not just a story about KashmirDid you meet Shamim Meraj on whom your character is based and did it affect your performanceThat was something unexpected I met him at a party but I didnrsquot know it was him until deep into our conversation He informed me that I was playing him in the show When I met him I saw a confident gentleman who knew what he was doing But the thing is we were portraying the character very differently which I believe was the right way to go He is vulnerable He is also trying to find himself through the group He has one vision mdash to bring hope to Kashmir If he fails he gets up and tries again It shows a common man standing up to something and becoming a hero But the real person is confident because he has already achieved everything now He was intrigued when I told him we were making him more vulnerable in the showHow does the show represent Kashmirrsquos sociopolitical conflictsThe basic decision to base it in Kashmir brings everything automatically When you are trying to make a club you need youngsters to join it and reflect the problems they face in joining or after Everything is there because of their social political and economic background The disparity we show is very risky The writers had many characters and explored them well You will see a different Kashmir mdash with real people who have struggled like usThere was a time when Shah Rukh Khan changed your mind about quitting the industry Emotionally where do you stand todayNow itrsquos absolutely fine That thought never came back I matured while working with him Films will always be like this mdash some good some bad Some projects you expect from and they donrsquot work some you donrsquot expect and they surprise you Uncertainty is our life If you can have one very good project every two years that is great I am emotionally stable and exploring myself moreYoursquove been vocal about the industry Has it cost youIrsquom sure it must have But Irsquom fine with that I say what I believe because I love this industry If I see scope for improvement Irsquoll say it If someone asks me something I wonrsquot shy away I wonrsquot make reels criticising the industry but if asked I will say what I believe That is how I am8Number of episodes in lsquoReal Kashmir Football Clubrsquo