Bollywood actor Muzammil Ibrahim, who is currently winning praise for his performance in Special Ops season 2, has expressed his frustration over the industry’s bias towards star kids.
In an interview with Filmibeat, Muzammil, who made his debut in the same year as Ranbir Kapoor, claimed his performance was better than Ranbir’s.
Muzammil Ibrahim says his acting debut was better than Ranbir Kapoor
Muzammil said he feels he has not received his due despite being in the industry for years. “I think the industry has not been fair because the way I acted in my debut, if a star kid did the same thing, he would have been somewhere else. I don’t remember Ranbir Kapoor acting that great in Saawariya. I know that I deserved the Best Debut award for my first film. I do feel that I have not gotten my due.”
Muzammil made his Bollywood debut in 2007 with Pooja Bhatt’s directorial Dhokha. The action-thriller also featured Tulip Joshi, Anupam Kher, Ashutosh Rana and Gulshan Grover in key roles. Ranbir, on the other hand, made his acting debut in Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s Saawariya opposite Sonam Kapoor. The film flopped at the box office, earning only ₹39.13 crore worldwide, but Ranbir went on to win the Best Male Debut awards at Filmfare, IIFA, Screen Awards and Producers Guild Film Awards.
Muzammil Ibrahim says A-listers think of him as a threat
Muzammil further claimed that although he has slowly started receiving the recognition he deserves, it is not at the level he feels it should be. The actor added that if he had been a star kid, the limelight would have been “crazy.” He added, “People had started saying that India has got its next superstar at that point of time. I am not saying it. I feel even now, they know that I am deserving. They also know that I am a threat to the guys who are the A-listers, and they watch out for their own assets a lot. They will have me removed from a parallel lead. They have done that in the past.”
After his debut, Muzammil appeared in films like Horn ‘Ok’ Pleassss and Will You Marry Me? but gained fame with his role as Agent Avinash in Special Ops. The latest season also features Kay Kay Menon, Vinay Pathak, Parmeet Sethi, Gautami Kapoor and Karan Tacker, among others. Released on July 18, the show has been praised by critics and audiences alike and is available to stream on JioHotstar.