Actor Mohammed Zeeshan Ayyub, who portrays the love interest of Nawazuddin Siddiqui’s transgender character Harika in the crime drama ‘Haddi’, discussed his role and emphasized the idea of true love irrespective of gender. Directed by Akshat Ajay Sharma, the film also features Anurag Kashyap and Zeeshan in leading roles. Nawazuddin plays the character of Haddi/Harika, while Zeeshan portrays Irfan.
In an interview with IANS, Zeeshan Ayyub spoke about the emotional and physical toll that such characters can have on actors. He expressed that although some aspects of the character may stick with you, there is no significant toll. The character he plays is gentle and tender, and they worked to bring out that softness in the relationship.
Zeeshan emphasized that romance should not be categorized, but rather seen as pure love between individuals, regardless of their gender or sexual orientation. He mentioned that this was the central idea they aimed to communicate through the film.
When asked if he had any apprehensions about taking on the role, Zeeshan stated that there were none, but it took him some time to say yes due to scheduling conflicts. However, everything was eventually resolved, and he enthusiastically accepted the part.
‘Haddi’ is produced by Zee Studios in collaboration with Anandita Studios. Aside from Nawazuddin’s double role, with one being a transgender character, the film also stars Ila Arun, Saurabh Sachdeva, Rajesh Kumar, and Ivanka Das in significant roles. It is currently streaming on Zee5.
On the work front, Zeeshan was last seen in ‘Scoop’ where he portrayed the character of Imran Siddiqui. The show features Karishma Tanna, Harman Baweja, and Prosenjit Chatterjee.