Ek hee toh jaan hai, ya toh Allah lega, ya mohalla. While this iconic dialogue was spoken by Nawazuddin Siddiqui's Faizal Khan in Gangs of Wasseypur, the film's writer Zeishan Quadri has the same attitude towards life.
Zeishan Quadri, who also played the role of Definite in Anurag Kashyap's two-part generational revenge drama, has now entered the Bigg Boss 19 house as a contestant to play the show in his own inimitable way.
Bigg Boss = Controversy?
Zeishan Quadri, also the writer of Gangs of Wasseypur, in an exclusive interview with NDTV said while Bigg Boss and controversy go hand in hand, one always doesn't need to be sensational to play the game.
"What controversy did Rakhi Sawant get into? I think she was a pure entertainer. She would sometimes talk to a statue or do things like that. I'm from Wasseypur, what will they teach me about fights and quarrels? I come from a place where people are kidnapped from their houses.
"There's a dialogue in Gangs of Wasseypur, 'Ek hee jaan hai, ya Allah lega, ya mohalla'. You don't die twice. When you die once, why fear anyone? If someone is dignified, I am too. If they try to act smart, I've seen many people like that. After becoming a writer, I have numbers of several crime journalists, criminals, or IPS officers in my phone. Tell me, why should I be scared of anyone?" the actor-writer told NDTV before entering the Bigg Boss 19 house.
"No other contestant is going to get as many votes from police officers as I (am). Let's see what happens. I will do my best to entertain people... I would have been somewhere else had I been a diplomat. I can't do that. The makers know how blunt I am, maybe that's the reason they offered the show to me. Coming from a small city like Wasseypur to Mumbai, I have also had a journey. I will share that on the show," he added.
"Going Into The Bigg Boss House For Experience"
Zeishan Quadri, whose acting credits include Bloody Daddy and Revolver Rani as well as writing credits Halaahal and Chhalaang, said he was first offered to feature on Bigg Boss in its 2022 and 2023 editions.
"I couldn't say yes to Bigg Boss at the time because many things were already lined up. I was also not mentally prepared to be completely isolated. Now I am. I have prepared myself. It is going to be a completely different experience, without TV, Internet or books. I am going inside the Bigg Boss house for experience. People know me in the industry, I have been here for 15 years now.
"The biggest reason why I'm going into the Bigg Boss is because the kind of films I have done are niche. TV, as in Colors and JioHotstar, is a huge platform. I feel that people will recall that 'Oh, he was in Gangs of Wasseypur'. Face is also important, you have to remind people that you also exist. I want people to recognise me."
Call To Fame Gangs of Wasseypur
Asked whether he feels concerned that people mostly remember him from Gangs of Wasseypur, Zeishan Quadri countered, "Whose call to fame is not Gangs of Wasseypur?"
"What are Nawaz and Anurag Kashyap's calls to fame? How do you know Huma Qureshi? What has Richa Chadha done? How did Rajkummar Rao got his initial push? This applies to the whole team of Gangs of Wasseypur," he added.
The screenwriter-actor said he was the one who introduced Wasseypur to Mumbai.
"It was my story. Anurag sir helped me, he taught me how to write for the screen. I am in the learning mode today as well. After Satya's Bhikhu Mhatre, people recognised Manoj Bajpayee as Sardar Khan of Gangs of Wasseypur. Even he took the time. It happens like that."
You can't write a Sholay or Gangs of Wasseypur every morning when you wake up, he said.
"I'll try to write another Gangs of Wasseypur in this lifetime. I'm not sure but I'll try. The way audiences liked the film, I don't know whether they will like any other film of mine. It's not necessary that they will. It was like a sixer on the first ball. Now when I want to take a single, people say, 'Why is he taking a single? He hits a good sixer'. That's the problem."
Audience's expectation alone isn't the problem.
"It is we who gave them this expectation. This is also our mistake that we aren't able to match their expectations. This is their love, this is not their mistake. I will have to match up to it," Zeishan Quadri admitted.
Meeting Salman Khan
From his leather jackets to his hairstyle, Zeishan Quadri's Gangs of Wasseypur character Definite was an unabashed fan of Bollywood superstar Salman Khan.
And yet, the actor-writer was unable to meet his idol until the grand premiere of Bigg Boss 19 on Sunday.
Asked how he would feel when he would finally meet Salman Khan for the first time, Zeishan Quadri said, "I have tried to keep myself calm. While filming Gangs of Wasseypur, Anurag said, 'Tu jiska fan hai wahi ban'. Salman hee tha andar when I was shooting for Gangs of Wasseypur. Thanks to the television industry I'm finally getting to meet Salman Khan."
It's ironic how despite them both working in films, Zeishan Quadri and Salman Khan met for the first time through a TV reality show like Bigg Boss.
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