Have you ever heard a song that made you laugh? Arshad Warsi hadn’t, until he heard Ghafoor, his entry song in . Among the many things in the Netflix series that the internet can’t get enough of is the actor’s extended cameo as Ghafoor, a dreaded gangster.
Warsi attributes it to the song. “Wherever I enter now, they start playing the song. It’s because of the song that my character has become so popular. For the first time, I heard a song that made me laugh,” chuckles Warsi.
Being part of Aryan Khan’s directorial debut — led by Bobby Deol, Mona Singh, Lakshya, and Raghav Juyal — was a no-brainer for Warsi, given his adoration for the first-time director and his superstar-father Shah Rukh Khan. “When Aryan said he needed me for two days, I simply asked, ‘When do you want me to come?’ Then he was trying to sell the role to me, but I said, ‘Aryan, I am doing it regardless because I love you and SRK.’ I did it without hearing the script or my role. I love Shah Rukh and his family. The amount Shah Rukh has done for the film industry, I think it owes him! He has brought us international fame and respect,” says the actor.
Aryan Khan on the set of his series. Pics/Yogen Shah, PTI, Instagram
When Warsi signed up for the series, he didn’t know the bizarre world that he was entering. He just knew one thing — that he trusted quirky ideas. “When he told me about my entry, I asked him which country the boat is coming from. Aryan said, ‘Pata nahin sir, maybe Somalia.’ That’s [when I figured] the boat is not relevant. I realised that a lot of quirky stuff was in store. Some directors have a bizarre vision; don’t try to understand it, you should just put yourself in their hands.”
As they shot together, Warsi saw shades of Shah Rukh in Aryan. Both have tremendous clarity, he observes. “Aryan is also hard-working like his father. Also, they both don’t sleep. The abundant energy they have is unbelievable,” he laughs, before adding, “Shah Rukh came on the sets as he knew I was shooting. He also gave me ideas [about my role]. The day SRK directs, he will be a very good director.”
Arshad Warsi reveals look, comprising a black silk Pathani and kohl-lined eyes, was designed by Aryan. In fact, the actor notes, “My look was like Shah Rukh’s in ‘Raees’.” Up next, the actor will be seen as a cop in ‘Bhagwat Chapter One: Rakshas’, directed by Akshay Shere. “After ‘Seher’, this is the first time I’m playing a serious cop.”