Mazher Sayed has been making sporadic appearances on the TV show Crime Patrol. But he hasn’t acted in a TV serial in a long time. The Free Press Journal caught up with him for an exclusive chat.
When asked to comment about his perceived sabbatical from acting, Mazher says, “It’s not exactly a sabbatical. With Crime Patrol, I feel I’ve been around pretty much. Of course, I have been a little away from daily soaps. That’s the reason why I love doing Crime Patrol as the kind of offers that I’ve been getting are not up to the level of the kind of work that I do on the show. The show has given me the status of a hero where the PI is solving the case. He is getting all the applause.”
He further adds, “Unfortunately, in daily soaps you end up doing nothing except standing in the background. If a role is offered where I can give an input, I will surely accept the offer. But, Crime Patrol is a completely different universe, it is realistic in nature and is loved by the audiences.”
Instagram: Mazher Sayed
Mazher is loving the response of his fans. “Wherever I go, fans walk up and tell me that they have revisited the episodes about two or three times. A show like that manages to give you your due as an actor. When people appreciate minute details of your performance, it gratifies you as an actor. I have never experienced that with a daily soap,” he gushes.
He elaborates further, “The cases that are offered to me range from kidnapping, rape, acid attacks. My first ever case on the show was based on the Burari deaths case. Some of the visuals I get while reading the script do not let me rest at night. The real-life footage and the statistics provided are very disturbing in nature. So, I like that I get to do something that is realistic and is not dramatised. It makes you alive as an actor.”
In a still from Crime Patrol
Did the tired and redundant nature of Indian shows lead the actor to his self-imposed sabbatical from TV? He asserts, “See, the audiences are smart enough and they speak for themselves. They also don't like it. That’s the reason the shows are ending immediately as they start. There was a time when shows would last for four or five years, irrespective of their TRPs. They had enough material in them which could be stretched.”
He concludes, “It’s a great avenue for a female actor. But, as a male actor, how much can you contribute to that space? Unless you’re playing the romantic lead or the antagonist, there is very little scope for male actors on such shows to stand out and flourish.”
