Ali Quli Mirza: I wish to balance singing and acting

After shooting OTT series ‘Mirzapur-2’ in Lucknow, the actor is back in the state capital for his next series followed by a feature film.

Singer Ali Quli Mirza is now all out to explore the actor in him. Having done roles in ‘Jail’, ‘New York’ and ‘Roar: The Tiger of Sunderbans’, he caught the limelight playing baddie Shekhu Naai in ‘Mirzapur-2’, which he shot in Lucknow. He is back in the state capital for his next series followed by a film.

Singer-actor Ali Quli Mirza strikes a pose in Lucknow. (HT Photo)

“I have been doing films, but my primary focus has been music and concerts which is big money. I was looking for good roles, be it small or big, but in big projects. Sheku Naai in ‘Mirzapur2’ got huge traction and people were surprised to see the dark character that I played. Now, I want to balance both well,” said the ‘Bigg Boss8’ finalist.

The UPite is essaying the role of an undercover agent, Ganesh Barkat Ali, in ‘Inspector Avinash’. “I am playing a transgender who is an informer. I am very excited playing this role, as, first of all, it’s very challenging, and then it’s with Randeep Hooda under Neeraj Pathak’s direction.”

Talking about his preparation, he said, “To get into the role, I have lost 15 kg, for which I am running for two hours every morning and evening while surviving on black coffee and veggies. In the pandemic, I have worked a lot on acting, took classes and understood the craft. When you shoot in one frame in front of classy actors like Randeep Hooda then you can’t go wrong. I also met a lot of transgender people to get into the skin of the character.”

Under contract, he refused to divulge details of the film that he will be shooting in Lucknow. Later this year, he will be shooting for Shabbir Boxwala’s next web-series ‘Peela’.

His last single was ‘Ishqam’ with Mika Singh. “It’s now nearing 80 million views and after its release. Next to come is my solo ‘Sugar Daddy’ that I shot in Dubai after recovering from Covid-19. Now, I wish to balance both music and acting. With God’s grace, I am doing quality work in both. And, it’s probably because I am passionate about what I do and love my work to the core!”

Ali revealed that after everything came to standstill during the lockdown, he discovered the world of mobile apps. “I have become an app king! I have earned good money through mobile apps. With no work, I was doing live streaming for 8-10 hours a day. After all, EMIs to bharni hain na!” he added on a lighter note!