Nine out of ten people are busy on their phones in DU: Imran Zahid

Theatre and Bollywood actor Imran Zahid, who recently performed in a play Do Deewane Sheher Mein in Gurgaon, shares the nostalgia of his graduation days at Delhi University.

Known for his characters in movies such as Chandu, The Arth and Jannat 2, actor Imran Zahid is unable to hold back himself when it comes to discussions around Delhi University.

Theatre and Bollywood actor Imran Zahid.

Zahid graduated from Hindu College (DU) and confesses that he initially found it difficult to cope with the city’s culture. “When you hail from a small place, you fall short in a lot of ways. Back then, I didn’t have a dressing sense, so it was difficult to adjust in Delhi but this city accepts everyone with time. It takes some time to mingle with new people but you learn to survive eventually. My accent was also a major problem,” he says.

Born and brought up in Jharkhand, after moving to Delhi, Zahid stayed in Hudson Lane at North Campus and used to hang out at nearby places. “A lot of my lovely memories are connected to Hudson Lane where I spent time after college. Those were the most happening days of my life. But once I graduated, I realised there is a life outside DU also. Marks, cut-off — nothing matters after a point,” he adds.

He believes that DU has changed a lot in the past few years. “Technology has changed many things. Now, when I visit the campus, nine out of ten people are busy on their phones. During my time, there were no cellphones but still, we created amazing memories. Now everything has become commercial.”

He learnt acting by watching movies and TV shows on weekends. “As a kid, acting was restricted to annual functions of my school. I enjoyed participating in them and I learnt acting by watching weekly cinema,” he says.

Read: Zoa Morani charms Gurgaon’s audience with her performance

Actor Imran Zahid says that a lot of his memories are connected to Hudson Lane in North Campus.

After graduation, Zahid opted to start his own institute over taking up a job. He also joined theatre groups such as that of thespian Arvind Gaur and got his first role as a lead in a play. “My first role was a challenge! I played Muntadhar al-Zaidi – the man who threw a shoe at the former President of USA, George Bush. Muntadhar al-Zaidi was invited to the performance and I was nervous to enact him on stage, in front of him.”.

Read: For the love of dramatics: 7 top drama societies of Delhi University

His recent performance in Do Deewane Sheher Mein, in Gurgaon, was also received quite well, but Zahid credits the city dwellers for that. He says, “The play was staged for the first time in Gurgaon. People here are more respectful towards theatre. The best part was that Gurgaon’s audience kept their phones on silent mode during the play. All of them were on time and despite the high ticket price, it was a full house.”