Actor Iqbal Khan has spent nearly two decades in the industry working across mediums. He first starred in films like Kuch Dil Ne Kaha and Fun2shh… Dudes in the 10th Century. When his films did not perform well at the box office, he found his footing in television. He played Angad Khanna in the 2005 show Kaisa Ye Pyar Hai and became the heartthrob of his generation.
Nearly 15 years after dominating the small screen, Iqbal forayed into the OTT space. The first season of Crackdown released in 2020 and the next season released in May this year. In an exclusive chat with News 18, Iqbal spoke about often playing an officer, the series being compared to Mission: Impossible and why spy-thrillers work well in India.
OTT has been an experimental, game-changing space owing to its versatility. Were you looking to enter this space? How did Crackdown happen?
OTT is one place where if you know how to act, you will get work. However, when I started, there was a thing like ‘Television actor hain, yeh hai, woh hain’. It has reduced a lot, but it’s still there. So, for my stint, I have to give credit to Apoorva Lakhia, the director and my senior in school. I told him that I want to get into web shows. He said, ‘I’m doing this show, you’re in it.’ That’s how a break happens – when somebody, who God has given the capacity to get you to a bigger level, believes in you and puts you there.
Your character in Crackdown works for RAW. You have previously played an Airforce officer, a DSP, etc. Do you consciously pick such roles?
I will be lying if I say I get to pick and choose. Having said that, I think maybe because of my voice, when someone is writing such a role, they think of me. I also have to admit that when I meet someone, I am usually more serious. I am a fun person, but you have to spend at least 3 months with me to see the ‘real’ me.
Given the success of series like The Family Man and The Night Manager, do you think spy thrillers have become the new ‘it’ thing? Why do you think that the audience responds so well to this genre?
Bohot saalon tak humari Indian audience aise genre se mehroom (deprived) rahi hai. Humne itna Switzerland dekh liya hain na ki yeh ab this is like fresh air. However, everything that starts, must also end. Right now, this is popular; but I’ve heard people thinking that it’s ‘too dark, too much of thriller’. They’re looking for romantic-comedy films or comedy films, that are not being made on a larger scale right now. I’m looking forward to Hera Pheri 3.
A few reviews of the Crackdown series have drawn comparisons to Tom Cruise’s Mission: Impossible…
It is not only unfair but silly to feel that we can make those kinds of films, purely on the basis of economics. Firstly, English is spoken in most of the countries globally. Their business is generated not only from the United States but from the entire world. Whereas in our films, I wouldn’t say the language is Hindi or Urdu, I will call it Hindustani. Hindustani language is primarily, only spoken in India and Pakistan. Since we have Nepal, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh as neighbouring countries, it is also popular there. We are not a world market.
What is your fondest memory of shooting Crackdown 2?
We were shooting in Jaisalmer, Rajasthan and we had an overload of Lal Maas. One time, our location manager got us more authentic Lal Maas than the sober version we were eating at our 5-star hotel. Most of us couldn’t take it, our tummies went for a toss. If you use toilet paper in the morning, it will catch on fire! We also filmed in Kashmir and liked the food scene there. Our location manager made sure that we ate a lot of heavy Kashmiri food, especially on the last day.
Having worked in TV, films and OTT, do you have a favourite medium?
The role you’re playing gives you that kick, whether it’s on TV, OTT or in films. However, there are more chances of that happening on OTT than in films. TV comes last because it has a lot of dos and don’ts. Cinema has undergone some change and OTT is a newer medium. TV can do better. I don’t know why but TV has not changed a lot. I like to believe that audiences can be shown smarter stuff. But, frankly, you could be in any medium, doing poor work; and you could be in a medium not popular amongst the so-called ‘creative minds’ and be really happy.
You had a successful stint on Khatron Ke Khiladi 6. Any plans to return to reality TV?
It is the closest to a reality show. I don’t think a lot of shows have reality out there. I did it because the main criteria then was ‘you finish your stunt, you go ahead’. It didn’t matter whether you entertain, talk or don’t talk. I hardly spoke in my season. I remember the channel guys telling me, ‘Thoda zyada reaction do na’. I don’t know about now – I haven’t seen the show in years. However, never say never.
A lot of your Gen Z and millennial fans primarily know you from Fun2shh. Considering that time travel was not a ‘typical’ trope in 2002-2003s Bollywood, what drew you to the film?
At that time, I thought that I’m getting a film, so I have to sign it. Every film has its fate. I remember it released a week after Kal Ho Na Ho and on the same day as Munna Bhai MBBS. It was a small film that got lost in the middle of such dinosaurs. People did not go to the theatres to watch it, but I don’t think there is anyone who has not seen Fun2shh. It’s like the Sooryavansham of Zee Cinema. It aired almost every second day.
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