Zeyn Shaw's way forward

Ready for second season of Class, Zeyn Shaw on how the opening edition’s success changed perception about him

He claims he was often at the receiving end of prejudice for his fair skin. But Zeyn Shaw, who plays Veer Ahuja in Class, feels that life has indeed changed after the success of season one. He asserts that since the show, perceptions about him have changed. “[I wasn’t only prejudiced against] having fair skin; it was also because I came from abroad. I had an American accent which I had to tone down,” says the actor, who is looking forward to the next season of the Hindi adaptation of the Spanish Netflix show, Elite.

While work on the second season hasn’t yet begun, Shaw says that he is “dying to read the script for season two”. “I am excited to see where my character goes. What people don’t realise is that Class took around two years to shoot. I watched the show twice, and only the second time was I able to get myself out of my head, watch the show, and enjoy it as an audience member. They have announced the second edition, so I am assuming discussions will start soon,” says Shaw, adding that between the shoot and release of season one, he has improved as an actor, which has led to other opportunities. He claims he is in talks for several projects and brands. “I have a film coming out sometime between August and September this year. However, this film was something I got before Class was released.”

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A student of the Lee Strasberg Theatre and Film Institute, New York, the young actor says that while the formal education taught him about auditions, rejections, and the hustle to get roles, it didn’t prepare him for the culture shock of casting in India.

Shaw shares, “In America, everything, including auditions and screen tests, is online, unlike here. Although things have changed here too since the pandemic, I remember my first day going to Aaram Nagar; I was quite overwhelmed seeing the number of people lined up outside casting agents’ offices, for a role or just an introduction. That was a massive culture shock.”

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