Shahbaz Khan: At this stage of career can’t start making reels for social media

Actor Shahbaz Khan, who will be seen in The Real Encounter, says, “Instagram ke followers, hits on reels and whether you are trending now guides your prospect.”

Actor Shahbaz Khan says after spending 34 years in the entertainment industry the current scenario is tough, especially for the senior actors as well as his contemporaries, with casting directors pitching on the trending set of actors.

Last seen in OTT series Taaza Khabar Season 2, actor Shahbaz Khan will be next seen in a feature film and a TV show

“Instagram ke followers, hits on reels and whether you are trending now guides your prospect. Casting directors too are working with their selective pool of actors. If you talk about actors from my time very few of them have work. Milta bhi hai toh you don’t get option to choose but kaam to karna hi hai jab aisa profession chuna hai! But, at this stage of career I can’t start making reels for social media,” says the actor on his recent visit to Lucknow and adds, “these trending wale log” are being cast.

The actor was last seen in the film The UP Files and the OTT series Taaza Khabar Season 2. “They established my character in this season which was small but went viral all over and now I am told that they will be repeating me in the third season too. Bahut maza aaya! Bhuwan (Bam, actor) is also an influencer but a good artiste too, so is Kusha (Kapila, actor) and a few others. But the influx of influencers has harmed regular actors.”

The actor will be next seen in Shabir Sheikh’s film The Real Encounter. “I play an encounter specialist Arjun Ranade in the film inspired by true events but is a work of fiction. I have played a cop before too but realised how challenging it is for policemen with rules, laws and now human rights to perform their duty. It also gives a strong social message,” shares Khan.

The actor has also signed a TV show. “It’s a difficult phase for TV but people are ready to experiment. I am working on the show Apollina which will be on air in a few months. When I look back at our shows like The Sword of Tipu Sultan (1990), Chandrakanta (1994) and Yug (1997) it looks like a dream. We call television content regressive, but not all shows on OTT are good. Good shows like The Family Man or Panchayat are far and few!” says Khan.