EXCLUSIVE: Zakir Hussain reacts to Rishab Shetty’s comment on Bollywood, says, “Why would Amitabh Bachchan, Shah Rukh Khan be honoured if we had bad image?”

Actor Zakir Hussain is a well-known Bollywood and South film actor. He has featured in movies and series like Sarkar Johnny Gaddaaar Singham Returns and Farzi among others. The actor has also worked with several south actors and movies. In an exclusive chat with Bollywood Bubble, Zakir Hussain shares his thoughts on Rishab Shetty’s comment about Bollywood.

Zakir Hussain on Rishab Shetty comment about Bollywood

Sharing his thoughts, Zakir Hussain says, “Pata nahi main poori tarah se sahi nahi maanta hoon. Globally Bollywood ki wajah se aisa nahi hai. Right from Dilip Sahab, Amitabh Bachchan to now Shahrukh Khan unko young age mein itna bada honour milna aur sari cheez yeh kharab image ko kaun dega? “I don’t agree that our image in spoiled because of Bollywood. From Dilip Sahab and Amitabh Bachchan to now Shahrukh Khan, they have received big honours at such a young age. Who would give it to a bad image?)’

Amitabh Bachchan and Shah Rukh Khan

Choose Filters

Normal

1977

Crema

Ludwig

Moon

Willow

Recalling an incident about Amitabh Bachchan, the actor shares, “I remember Mr Bachchan was once roaming in Europe. At a market, he was short of money and he said the person I will send it to you from India. The person then asked him who are you? To this Amitabh Bachchan then replied, ‘I will tell you who I am. You just write a letter mentioning Amitabh Bachchan, India and it will reach at my place.“

Zakir on Bollywood actors recognition

He further shares how B-town actors have made their name in Hollywood as well. Zakir says, “When I went to Morocco for a shoot, there was a theater there where old actresses like Meena Kumari, Dilip Kumar, and Raj Kapoor had their films released. It was significant even in Afghanistan due to the fan following from films like Khuda Gawah, Amitabh Bachchan himself told this. Bollywood’s reputation isn’t damaged; infact it has reached Hollywood. For instance, Kareena Kapoor is going to debut in Hollywood while Alia Bhatt and Priyanka Chopra have already worked there. I don’t think any South film actor has achieved this level except Dhanush. Great actors are successful in their own spheres. The difference is that there’s a fanatic fan following there; they treat their superstar like a deity. And that is for real as people die holding an electric wire for their stars there.”

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Zakir Hussain (@officialzakirhussain)

Zakir highlighted how South films are gradually recognised despite directors and actors since years over here. He states, “But saying that India’s image is tarnished because of Bollywood, doesn’t seem correct to me. The influence of South films has happened here because it started getting dubbed. After 10 years, people gradually started liking them more seriously. Directors from the South have been working here as well. Even before that, actors from there, like Rajinikanth and Kamal Haasan, were involved in significant hits. Like Rati Agnihotri’s debut film was a big hit, which also starred Kamal Haasan. So, it’s incorrect to say Bollywood is the cause of any negative image. I don’t know on what basis he made this claim.”

Rishab Shetty’s comment

For those unversed, Rishab Shetty recently won a National Film Award for his 2022 film Kantara. In an interview, he stated: Bollywood, often present India negatively. This statement left netizens and actors divided.  Many have even slammed him for making such a comment.

On the work front, Zakir will next be seen in Murshid alongside Tanuj Virwani and Kay Kay Menon. The series will be released on Zee 5. It tells the story of Menon and Hussain’s characters who are forced to take up weapons after ‘retiring’ from the underworld.

Watch the full interview here:

Also Read: Kantara A Legend Chapter 1 First Look Teaser: Rishab Shetty will give you goosebumps with his fierce avatar