“I Have Come To Terms With My Life After My Split”- Arbaaz Khan

Jyothi Venkatesh

What is your role in the latest web series Poison?

I play a smart and suave but ruthless businessman called Antonio Verghese who puts up a sophisticated and smart front in front of others but actually is a Goa based drug lord who is conducting his own illegal drug cartel and is extremely power drunk. Antonio leads a double life and will not hesitate to eliminate anybody in order to gain money, especially if someone tries to double cross him in any which way.

Poison is your first ever foray in a digital platform. What made you say yes to the offer at a time when you are busy acting in and producing your own film Dabangg 3?

The role of Antonio allows me to express myself in an altogether different and new platform which I know will be promoted very well by Zee 5. I also was keen on being part of a web series which will be viewed by millions of people all over the world in various languages.

Which are the web series that you have seen till date?

I have been binge watching quite a few web series like Mirzapur, The Games of Throne, Sacred Games and hence I was not at all skeptical when the director Jatin Wagle came to me with the offer to act in Poison and as an actor I did not have any hesitation at all. It works for me in terms of exposure among the masses and I feel it is in no way different from what I do on the big screen. After films and TV, you need a digital platform for recognition as well as a bigger audience. It is my first association with Zee 5. I feel digital is the best way to go. Though it is in its infant stage tight now, it is poised to grow bigger and better in India and will co-exist with in Cinema and we have to learn to love with it in times to come.

Is there any other reason that you wanted to be part of Poison?

It was very exciting to do a show on my own without in any way depending upon my brother Salman Khan, because let’s face facts I cannot be attached to him all the time. I wanted to find my own space and it all came in one go, the offer to act in Poison and be the host of a talk show like Pinch

Is your approach towards acting the same when you set out to act in a web series as compared to a film like Dabangg 3?

In Poison, I just acted whereas Dabangg 3 is a very big responsibility not only as an actor but also as a producer for me. My approach as an actor is pretty much the same whether I set out to act in a film or a web series. As an actor, I have to understand the character that I am asked to portray and only the platforms which show them are different. In terms of styling, Cinema would need to be cut differently whereas a web series gives you the luxury of dwelling on a scene for a longer period of time. If I have to play a drug dealer or a boss, I do not have to walk differently talk slowly.

You are enjoying yourself and relaxing in your new space, as a host in your chat show Pinched. Isn’t it?

Yes. You can say that. Luckily for me, I am actually enjoying myself in my new space and people who have seen my show Pinched as well as Poison tell me that I am actually looking very relaxed in both, and not at all like someone who has gone through a very serious domestic crisis in his personal life. I’d say that a chat show is a breeze in two hours whereas producing as well as acting in a big budget film like Dabangg 3 is entirely different.

Though you had directed Dabangg 3, it is Prabhu Deva who is directing your production Dabangg 3!

Though I made my debut as a director with Dabangg 2, I had always had this itch to direct and had in fact assisted even a director like Mahesh Bhatt in his films like Naam, Kubza and Aawargi. I had shot some portions of late actor-director Mazhar Khan’s Gang too. I am not directing Dabangg 3 though Dabangg 2 wasa hit because I am now multi tasking and besides producing Dabangg 3, and doing my own chat show Pinched, I am also toying with the idea of acting in another web series after Poison.

How has life changed after your split with your ex wife Malaika Arora?

I have come to terms with my own life and trying to get back in my life. I have started looking younger and it has not happened without serious efforts from my side.

How did you think of starting a web chat show like Pinched?

I decided to get in to the space of OTT platform with a friend of mine and thought that starting with a show like Pinched would be a great idea for me to begin with. Luckily for me, I have a great chemistry with almost all the stars in the industry for a long time and it was not difficult at all for me to convince them to take part in my show, whether it was Sonakshi Sinha, Katrina Kaif or Kapil Sharma.

Do you prepare your participants with the questions before the show is shot?

We had narrowed down on social media and trolling and felt that the celebrities should be given an opportunity to come up with their own point of view on trolling in a show like Pinched. I very well also know that unlike journalists who always look for sensation, I would not try to exploit a relationship for the sake of peddling in sensationalism. To answer your question, I do not prepare the celebrities in advance.

Has your split from your wife Malaika made you swear off love forever?

You know it better. You have seen me with my partner Giorgia Andriani in Goa where I had come to receive the award for Life Time Achievement for my father Salimsaab. In spite of having had a bitter personal experience as far as love is concerned, I am still a lovely guy and have not at all lost hopes of love and life.

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Tags: Bollywood, Bollywood News, Bollywood Updates, Television, Telly News, Arbaaz Khan, Interview, Poison