No films for friends in Bollywood: Zayed Khan

Sep 27, 2011 IANS

Mumbai, Sep 27 (IANS) It seems Zayed Khan lives by the adage "don't mix friendship with business". The actor says he didn't approach any big name for his debut production venture "Love Breakups Zindagi" because he feels that the days when stars worked in each other's films for the sake of friendship are long gone.

However, he is ready to extend an offer to any of his Bollywood friends when he has a role to suit them.

"I have friends in the industry, but I have to realise that this is a profession. Most of my life I made decisions based on relationships. I wore my heart on my sleeve. But I don't want to go to a friend and ask for a favour," Zayed told IANS in an interview.

"If I go to anyone, I want to go with a solid script that makes the person want to do it and he or she comes on board on his or her own. That time of doing films with friends is over. Everyone has realised that it's no longer the industry it used to be. This is a serious industry and you need to make some serious decisions," said the 31-year-old.

Zayed features in "Love Breakups Zindagi" along with his business partner, actress Dia Mirza, and newcomers like Pallavi Sharda, Satyadeep Misra, Umang Jain and Auritra Ghosh. The romantic comedy has been directed by Sahil Sangha and is slated for release Oct 7.

The actor, who is actor-producer Sanjay Khan's son, stepped into Bollywood in 2003 with "Chura Liyaa Hai Tumne". Later he went on to be a part of films like "Dus", "Shabd", "Mission Istanbul", "Yuvvraaj" and "Blue".

Zayed says his dad wasn't too keen on letting him get into production.

"My dad is my most sincere critic. He likes me to be always humble about most things. Initially when I told him about my production plans, he thought that it was a big step too soon. But I feel it's important to make your own decisions and make your own mistakes to understand things," said the actor.

Now when the film is ready for release, he has mixed feelings.

"I'm anxious and I have butterflies in my stomach but the most important part is that we are ready for it. So this is one of those occasions when there is less nervousness and more anxiousness," he added.