City
Epaper

Mukesh Rishi says his army background helped him understand the world of ‘Salakaar’

By IANS | Updated: August 13, 2025 15:25 IST

Mumbai, Aug 13 Actor Mukesh Rishi, who essays the role of Muhammad Zia-ul-Haq in the recently released streaming ...

Open in App

Mumbai, Aug 13 Actor Mukesh Rishi, who essays the role of Muhammad Zia-ul-Haq in the recently released streaming series ‘Salakaar’, has shared that his army background came in handy to understand the world of ‘Salakaar’.

The series revolves around an Indian spy who is sent on a mission to Pakistan and navigates through his professional and personal life.

Mukesh was quite impressed by the story and hence decided to come on board. He said, “When I heard the story, I liked it. I found it very interesting. The kind of research that director Faruk Kabir had done and the level of preparation he did made me want to work with him on this project. His professionalism and overall involvement in the project drew me to it”.

Mukesh essays the role of Pakistani military dictator, Zia-ul-Haq in the series. Zia is the bedrock of most of India’s problems. He was the second Pakistani dictator after General Ayub Khan. He gave a definitive form to Zulfikar Ali Bhutto’s plan of “Bleed India by thousand cuts”, a thousand year war declared against India for Pakistan’s own interest. Later, Zia got Zulfikar Ali Bhutto framed in a case, and got the death penalty approved for him through hand-picked judges.

Talking about his role as Zia, and how he prepared for it, he said, "I tried to do some research online. Also, I have an army background and have a little knowledge of the army. So that helped me. There was a particular get-up and dress-up. And since my character is from Pakistan, we looked at the photos available online and heard them for the mannerism part”.

When asked what element of the series he enjoyed the most, he said, “After working for so many years, I have realized that every episode of a show should be good. The story should not be long but just brief enough for the audience to enjoy it”.

"I know almost everyone; they are very capable actors, so you get to see their influence in the series. Sometimes it is not necessary how much work we have done with them; sometimes it is about how they have done their work. So I feel they all have given their best and done a good job”, he added.

Produced by Sphereorigins, 'Salakaar' is available to stream on JioHotstar.

Disclaimer: This post has been auto-published from an agency feed without any modifications to the text and has not been reviewed by an editor

Open in App

Related Stories

MumbaiMumbai: Fire Breaks Out at Terminal 1 of Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport; No Injuries Reported (Watch Video)

InternationalUK grooming scandal reveals decades of abuse by Pakistani-heritage gang: Report

NationalOver 85 per cent: Assam records highest ever voter turnout

CricketIPL 2026: Rahane-Raghuvanshi star as KKR reach 181/4 vs LSG

Other SportsAsian Wrestling Championships 2026: Meenakshi Goyat reaches 53kg final, Hansika Lamba, Neha get bronze medals

Entertainment Realted Stories

EntertainmentRashmika Mandanna's 30 birthday was all about revising her roots

EntertainmentSandeep Reddy Vanga backs Ranveer Singh's 'Dhurandhar: The Revenge'; Aditya Dhar reacts, sends love to Prabhas for 'Spirit'

EntertainmentShweta Tripathi bats for "proportionate representation" on Women's Reservation Bill, says "changing laws will reach every household"

EntertainmentNeha Kakkar says 'There’s no one like you' as she wishes brother Tony Kakkar on birthday

EntertainmentSandeep Reddy Vanga has a special advice for Aditya Dhar & Ranveer Singh after watching 'Dhurandhar 2'