Ashraf Khan always dreamt of being an actor. With no connection to the film industry, the task seemed an uphill journey for him. “We were exposed to a lot of classical music as my father worked as a tabla artiste with the AIR, Delhi,” explains Ashraf, who soon started accompanying his father to his concerts and was noticed by a modelling agency and bagged his first assignment. “That boosted my confidence and I took to theatre,” shares the actor, who then shifted his base to Mumbai.

But, filmdom seemed distant for Ashraf, who then started getting involved in theatre and soon established himself as an actor. That opened more doors for modelling and now he has signed a Hindi film, Mumbai Pipeline, which he says will go on floors later this month.

Ashraf is also thrilled he has bagged his first Kannada film — Laila Majnu Love Story. “The film is a modern take on the original love story. I play a villain in the film. But the character will not be seen weilding guns, chasing the heroine or driving rich cars. It is a subtle shade of grey which is manipulative and cunning in a sleek manner.”

The film is produced under the banner of Krupa Entertainment and is directed by MGR.

Will he be delivering his own dialogues or will someone dub for him? “During the shoot, I said my own dialogues. I did learn a bit of Kannada so I could understand the lines and emote better. But as I am still new to the language, I think it is better that someone dubs for me as my diction is not perfect,” says Ashraf, who adds he is open to any kind of roles. He now looks forward to working in more Kannada films as he “fell in love” with this industry.

He dreams of making his mark “in films and people’s heart. I want to be remembered for the characters I portray on screen and not just as Ashraf. Every character I depict on screen should have an impact on my audience,” he adds.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> Entertainment> Movies / by Shilpa Sebastian R / January 02nd, 2019