Faraaz, now playing in cinemas, tells the extraordinary story of reallife hero Faraaz Ayaaz Hossain, who stood up to bigotry and hate and gave up his life — even when he had the choice to walk out, courtesy his religion — in the 2016 Dhaka terrorist attack that took place in the city’s upscale Holey Artisan Bakery. Playing 20-year-old Faraaz is debutant Zahan Kapoor, whose performance in the film has earned the youngster unanimously positive reactions.

Zahan belongs to the first family of films in Bollywood. He is Shashi Kapoor’s grandson (Kunal Kapoor is his father), with almost all his Kapoor cousins working as actors. On his mother’s (Sheena Sippy) side, Zahan also has genuine film cred, with filmmaker Ramesh Sippy being his grandfather. TT spoke to Zahan on his debut film, which is directed by Hansal Mehta and co-produced by Anubhav Sinha, being Faraaz and why he wants to be an actor and not a star.

The reactions to Faraaz have been very positive. That must be so heartening for a debutant, especially since you play the title role....

For me, it’s been a journey of four years. The conversation started with Hansal sir (Mehta, director) in 2019 and we have been through every imaginable and unimaginable obstacle, but we have persevered. For me, this film has been a lesson in perseverance and patience at every level, and I am just thrilled that we are being able to present this work to the world.

The positive reviews and reactions are so heartening, encouraging, reassuring and beyond our expectations. I am so happy that the film has moved so many people. It’s been beyond my wildest dreams.

How did the process of you being a part of this film start?

It started very randomly. At that time, I was trying to search for an opportunity, doing the rounds, meeting people, doing auditions, trying to figure out how to take the plunge and get my acting career started.... I had been training for quite a few years already.

I was getting very frustrated, to be honest. I wanted to be part of a film with a story by a maker who was passionate about telling it. I didn’t want to jump into some bombastic project and take the gamble of focusing on being a star.

I was more interested in finding a story and a maker that I could participate in and serve the story as an actor. I love doing the job and so I wanted to pitch things one step at a time. The idea was to put my head down and find something genuine.

And then this film came my way. Hansal sir saw me at Prithvi (Theatre), he had a hunch.... He was already in conversation about this movie with Mahesh Bhatt sir (film-maker) at the time. He called him up and said, ‘Listen, I think I have found the boy who could fit the part, so why don’t you speak to his father (Kunal Kapoor) and see if he is interested in acting?’ My father just said, ‘You can speak to Zahan because I don’t make any decisions. But I do think he’s trying to be an actor’ (smiles). So ghoom phir ke, that’s how it all started.

Incidentally, I had done a screen test a year-and-a-half before that time for the casting director Mukesh Chhabra. I didn’t get that part, but Mukesh Chhabra recommended my name to Hansal sir and reassured him that he should go with me. Mukesh Chhabra has cast for the whole of Faraaz, so the fact that he gave his stamp of approval increased Hansal sir’s confidence in me. We were lucky enough to go with Hansal sir and Bhatt saab and the producer of the film Sahil Saigal to Dhaka and meet people there... some survivors (of the Holey Artisan Bakery attack), some victims, journalists.... We bought the rights to a Bangla book which is actually banned in Bangladesh. When translated it’s called ‘The Holey Artisan Journalistic Investigation’.

We jumped in with no script and I took the leap with nothing apart from the fact that Hansal Mehta wants to make this movie. I went in because I knew how good he is with creating such complex, nuanced characters. I somehow felt that I had to join him in this process.

This film wasn’t about trying to predict, manipulate or reverse-engineer some kind of effect... this was about figuring out the best way to do this story justice. We had to concentrate on the process first and let go of the result. And that felt so genuine to me. I was like, ‘What better opportunity than this to jump into the deep-end?’

We faced two pandemic lockdowns, a litigation post the shooting of the film... but every step of the way, we somehow managed to persevere, we somehow managed to overcome these obstacles. Hansal sir also stuck with this film for four years, he could have moved on to something else. He put his neck out there and pursued this project.

So much faith and genuine goodwill has gone into this project.

It’s interesting you talk about cooling your heels for years and waiting to be an actor. Anyone on the outside, especially in a world where ‘nepotism’ has crept into everyone’s vocabulary, wouldn’t think that Shashi Kapoor’s grandson would have to struggle to get into films....

They are not wrong about it and I am not here to force anyone to change their perception. I can only offer my own story. Yes, I do have a surname attached to my name, yes I come from a family that has impacted the history of Hindi films and gathered so much goodwill... but my upbringing was different. I was not really in the centre of the film industry, I grew up on its fringes.... I was lucky enough to have parents who exposed me to the world around, they allowed me to live independently and not be mollycoddled. They forced me to stand on my own feet and discover things by myself. They never pressured me into any situation.

That, I feel, is my privilege. My privilege is not being given a project on a silver platter. My privilege was being born in a home that allowed me to be in situations and experiences that empowered me. I won’t say that my family name doesn’t get me attention... of course it does. I am not supposed to fight that or erase it... I will take responsibility for it. The generation of my grandfather’s, all the Kapoors, were trained actors who did theatre. They practised and honed the art form. And I wanted to do the same. I wanted to become an actor because of a genuine love for the craft... not for the fanfare, not for the celebrity status that comes with it.

I wanted to be someone who was well prepared to become an actor. If I get a decent opportunity, I better be damn ready for it. I have done everything I can to make myself capable and earn it, in a sense. My father has told me to do whatever my heart is set on, but that I would have to do it on my own.

I wanted to be someone who was well-prepared to become an actor. If I get a decent opportunity, I better be damn ready for it. I have done everything I can to make myself capable and earn it, in a sense. My father has told me to do whatever my heart is set on, but that I would have to do it on my own.

It’s such a huge responsibility to play a character like Faraaz, someone who showed extraordinary mettle in such trying times. He had the option to save his life, but he didn’t...

Going to Dhaka and hearing these accounts first-hand was very visceral. It was so traumatic to hear these things first-hand. It simply illustrates the power of the human spirit, of bravery... I researched every little aspect of Faraaz’s life.

As the script started to be put together, the early drafts had Faraaz as a student in the US and built his world. But ultimately, none of that went into the final film because the story of Faraaz is not about who he is anywhere else; it’s about him and his courage on that night and how he emerged in that moment. And it’s not something that was written on paper because how do you depict that? The world took that story and explained it later. It was so visceral and subjective that I had to do the prep and the research, but ultimately submit to it.

What’s the way forward for you now?

I want to be here for the long run. I am not looking for a quick ticket to stardom. I want a genuine, honest career.