Prithviraj calls Ibrahim Ali Khan ‘well-prepared debutant', addresses criticism around Nadaaniyan: ‘If Shah Rukh sir can still be criticised..'

Indian Express

a day ago

Prithviraj Sukumaran will share screen space with Saif Ali Khan's son, Ibrahim Ali Khan, in the upcoming film Sarzameen. In a recent interview, Prithviraj called Ibrahim 'one of the most well-prepared debutants' he has ever worked with. He also addressed the criticism the young actor faced after the release of his film Nadaaniyan.
'Day one, when we were shooting a scene, I realised that the boy already has a very clear idea about the entire arc of the character. And then I spoke to [director] Kayoze and I realised that they worked on this for a year plus,' shared Prithviraj while speaking to India Today.
'There wasn't a single moment during the entire shooting of the film where Iggy (Ibrahim) as an actor was not sure of what he should do. Yes, there are points where we have improvised where like any actor- it happens to me now, I'm sure it happens to Kajol—where we are suddenly lost, and we think, 'Okay, this is not how I thought this would span out. So now I'm in a place where I did not think I would be. How do I tackle this?' That's happened to Iggy too. That's happened to me during this film,' added the actor.
Prithviraj further shared Ibrahim Ali Khan put in a lot of work for Sarzameen. The actor, 'He was already well-trained to comprehend that process and how to adopt that process for his own good. I really think Ibrahim has put in a lot of work for this film. It's really a lot of work from him. And as people already know, the camera really loves him. He is a very, very good-looking boy.'
Referring to Sarzameen as a 'very interesting debut' for Ibrahim, Prithviraj remarked, 'This is his first film, actually the first film he acted in. I kept telling him, and I told this to Saif sir also, when I met him that this is actually a very, very interesting debut for an actor to make, because it's not what you would think is a given debut for an actor like Ibrahim. So yes, I'm looking forward to what people think of him in the film.'
Lastly, Prithviraj addressed the criticism Ibrahim Ali Khan faced after the release of Nadaaniyan. He said, 'See, Ibrahim will be wonderful in this film, but that's not going to put an end to anything. Hello, if Shah Rukh Khan sir can still be criticised, why can't Ibrahim Ali Khan be criticised? Come on. From where I come from, Mohanlal sir and Mammootty sir are still criticised. There's nothing bigger than that for us to understand that that's never going to end.'
'You have to just keep trying. I've totally realised that it never gets easier. You think, 'Oh, that one blockbuster,' and then it gets easier? No. It does not. It never gets easier. The idea is that you start really enjoying the grind,' the actor concluded.
Sarzameen is set to premiere on Jio Hotstar on July 25. The Kayoze Irani directorial also stars Kajol along with Ibrahim Ali Khan and Prithviraj Sukumaran.