Comedian Ali Asgar became a household name after he shot to fame for convincingly playing the role of Kapil Sharma's dadi (grandmother) in Comedy Nights with Kapil and followed it up with The Kapil Sharma Show. After he discontinued working with Kapil Sharma post the infamous mid-air fight with Sunil Grover, he played the role of Sunil's sister-in-law in Kanpur Ke Khuranas headed by Sunil Grover. But his success has come with a hefty price tag which has began to haunt him like a ghost.
"I have been playing female characters on television for quite a long time. There was a time when I used to come on television for a week in different female characters. And I would go back home and think 'what I am doing?', after watching myself on the screen," Ali told IANS.
"It hit me when my son said his school friends tease him with my character name. He asked me 'dad, can't you do anything else as an actor?' It was an alarming thing for me," he said.
Earlier, Ali had revealed that he was molested by drunkards when he was performing as dadi at a wedding in Delhi.
"Wherever I go for such shows, I don't let the anchor announce my name, I just enter as Dadi. At this event, by the time I entered, people were already drunk. Unhone uske baad jo hamla kiya hai mere upar – they were putting their hands on my chest, they were pinching my butt, I was molested," Ali Asgar had told The Times Of India in an interview.
Ali feels he is stuck with that image and says he is looking for ways to break it and grow as a performer. He says he was flooded with offers of playing drags on TV and live gigs. "I realised I am stuck within my own success," he said.
"The reality of an actor's life is that we are serving to the audience. Even though, I do not want to play a female character, my performance is giving TRP to the channel. It means people enjoy watching me that way", he remarked.
But he has become selective now.
"I am not a woman. But with my performance, I am convincing that right, which means there is a talent of a performer. I am seeking more avenues to explore my acting talent... and any platform is good for me, whether it is stage, TV, cinema or web. I want to play interesting roles," said the actor, who also featured in "Kahaani Ghar Ghar Kii".
He stars in horror-thriller "Amavas", slated for release on Friday.
