Sarzameen director opens up on Ibrahim’s speech issue, reveals he got film because of Rocky Aur Rani Kii Prem Kahaani
Sarzameen director Kayoze Irani reveals how Ibrahim Ali Khan got the film after he stepped in for Ranveer Singh during Rocky Aur Rani Kii Prem Kahaani
After his debut film Nadaaniyan, also starring Khushi Kapoor, failed to impress audiences, Saif Ali Khan’s son Ibrahim Ali Khan returned to our screens with Sarzameen. Co-starring Kajol and Prithviraj Sukumaran, the film marks the directorial debut of Boman Irani’s son and Student of the Year actor Kayoze Irani. This time, Ibrahim won hearts with his performance, playing a character with a speech impediment, who gets kidnapped by a terrorist group only to be rescued many years later, brainwashed. The speech impediment is something Ibrahim and his character had in common.
In the past, Ibrahim Ali Khan has candidly spoken about his speech impediment and hearing issues, which were caused due to a severe case of jaundice he experienced shortly after birth. Talking about Ibrahim’s speech issue and his character’s stutter in a recent chat with Indian Express, director Kayoze Irani shared, “The speech issue was there in the film before Ibrahim was even a part of it. But I wanted the relatability to be there. I brought it out of him. Because the character needed to be vulnerable. In the non-aggressive scenes, I definitely wanted him to be vulnerable. So we designed the scenes around Ibrahim.”
The director also revealed how Ibrahim bagged Sarzameen, which was initially meant to mark his acting debut. Kayoze shared, “With Ibrahim, I was on the set of Rocky Aur Rani Kii Prem Kahaani (2023). Ibrahim was an AD (Assistant Director). He was filling in for Ranveer Singh as they were setting up the shot. Karan sir and I both were sitting behind the monitor and we felt he’s got a face for the camera. So we decided to launch him. We did an audition, readings, and a six-month workshop by Atul Mongia with him. That’s how we brought him onboard.”
{{/usCountry}}The director also revealed how Ibrahim bagged Sarzameen, which was initially meant to mark his acting debut. Kayoze shared, “With Ibrahim, I was on the set of Rocky Aur Rani Kii Prem Kahaani (2023). Ibrahim was an AD (Assistant Director). He was filling in for Ranveer Singh as they were setting up the shot. Karan sir and I both were sitting behind the monitor and we felt he’s got a face for the camera. So we decided to launch him. We did an audition, readings, and a six-month workshop by Atul Mongia with him. That’s how we brought him onboard.”
{{/usCountry}}Before Nadaaniyan and Sarzameen, netizens witnessed a glimpse of Ibrahim’s acting talent in a behind the scenes clip from Rocky Aur Rani Kii Prem Kahaani (2023), where he was hilariously rejected as a prom date by Alia Bhatt as they recreated a scene from Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham (2001). Up next, Ibrahim will be seen in a sports drama titled Diler.
