Bilal Abbas Khan wishes to work with Vishal Bharadwaj

'Vishal's understanding of cinema is amazing. I aspire to work in films that comprise performance-driven characters'

Stepping out of his comfort zone seems like a well-thought-out decision for the Pakistani actor Bilal Abbas Khan. From Wajih to Sohail, the actor has explored the roles of all niches. When speaking about the directors he wishes to work with, the O Rangreza star shared Indian film-maker Vishal Bhardwaj has an amazing understanding of cinema and hopes to work with him in the future, reported Pinkvilla.

"I love watching movies and web series, be it Hollywood or Bollywood. I have seen a lot of Indian movies including the South Indian ones. They are the reason that I am an actor today," Bilal shared, adding, "I wish to be directed by Vishal Bhardwaj. I have seen all his films like Omkara, Kaminey, Haider and Maqbool. His understanding of cinema is amazing and I aspire to be part of films that comprise performance-driven characters and a powerful storyline. He is my all-time favourite."

At the moment, he is seen in acclaimed director Mehreen Jabbar's Ek Jhoothi Love Story, which also stars Madiha Imam. The show is scripted by Umera Ahmed, the celebrated writer of the show Zindagi Gulzar Hai. The Zindagi original streams on ZEE5 in India.

In an earlier interview with BBC, the actor shed light on how he choosing scripts is a conscious effort to test himself in a new way.  

"Whenever I have to sign a project, I make sure that the character I’m about to do is different from my previous one. After I did Cheekh, I was on the lookout for a light-hearted character, opposite of what I did before. This is how I ended up doing Pyaar Ke Sadqay," Khan said. "I do make a conscious effort to ensure that every character I do is different and challenges me in a new way."

Elaborating further on this, the rising star said that picking such projects allows him to explore acting. "As an actor, you always have this hunger and desire to branch out. I also want to push boundaries and step out of my comfort zone. The majority of the dramas we do in Pakistan are women-centric. For a change, I did a series, apart from Ek Jhooti Love Story, called Abdullah Pur Ka Devdas, which is a male-centric story. It was interesting and I really enjoyed doing it.” 

Have something to add to the story? Share it in the comments below.