Director Kayoze Irani has opened up about casting Ibrahim Ali Khan in his action thriller Sarzameen, and the focused training that went into shaping the young actor’s performance. Speaking on Cyrus Broacha’s podcast Cyrus Says, Kayoze revealed that despite the criticism Ibrahim faced after his OTT debut Nadaaniyan, he saw undeniable potential.
“I did see something in him. The first thing I saw is that this boy is tailor-made for the camera. And even his harshest critics can’t disagree. When he is in front of the camera, he has got a presence. He is made for the camera, and he is bloody handsome,” Kayoze said.
The filmmaker, who first appeared on screen in Student of the Year, explained that Ibrahim’s training for Sarzameen focused on drawing out his inner emotional world. “He always had the physique. Atul (Mongia) also said that there is something really there. And we have to find his inner world… so his performance is actually him,” Kayoze noted.
To help Ibrahim connect more deeply with each scene, Kayoze used a unique approach: “I used to have a little sheet with key words that I used to talk to him through the scenes about. Motivating words. So that’s how it worked. And that’s why he is getting a lot more love on this one.”
Sarzameen, which also stars Prithviraj Sukumaran and Kajol, has received mixed reviews, but many viewers agree that Ibrahim’s performance shows marked improvement from his debut.