Making his debut with the web series Inspector Avinash, Zohaeb Farooqui is the new kid on the block to look out for. “I auditioned for Inspector Avinash like every new talent. Opportunities don’t come your way unless you start knocking the doors,” he says.
Zohaeb plays the role of a UP-based college student in the web series. “It has a very good premise. It is based on the life story of a police officer. We enjoyed shooting for it in various parts of India and I am sure the audience is going to love it too,” says the actor, whose name means gold. He reveals that he gets a lot of compliments for his name wherever he goes.
Happy to start out with OTT that is buzzing with interesting content and garnering interest from the audience, he adds, “I think the OTT boom is just amazing. The content variety on OTT is fantastic. There are stories from all over the world under one roof. I myself watch a lot of content on OTT. I eat, drink and sleep movies…”
Zohaeb inspires in Bollywood are all good actors who are unique in their own way. “The Khan’s be it Salman Khan, Shah Rukh Khan or Aamir Khan. Ranbir Kapoor, Ranveer Singh and Shahid Kapoor have their unique strengths as well and can’t be compared to one another. I admire and look up to them all. In this industry, I think more than looking good, you need to be charismatic, you should be honest and give out good vibes, which should reflect in your personality,” he says.
He has taken formal training in acting from Whistling Woods International. Zohaeb shares that the experience there has been fantastic as one gets to learn many technicalities along with the art form. At the institute, according to him, they also help in developing one’s personality.
Ask if he has not been an actor, what profession would he have chosen and the pat comes the reply, “I Never thought about it. I have always wanted to become an actor since I was a child. I believe one shouldn’t have a plan B when you are sure about your plan A. I have always thought about only acting and nothing else.”
Speaking of how this pandemic has changed his outlook. He adds, “It made me calm and I started to enjoy my own company. It also has made me realize what I need and what I want. It has given an opportunity to identify my genuine friends and taught me the value of prioritising. I am more responsible as a person and more career-oriented now than what I was before,” he signs off.
