Nasirr Khan, son of veteran actor and comedian late Johnny Walker, is currently seen in the TV show Shubh Laabh-Aapkey Ghar Mein. He spoke to us recently about his journey in showbiz and his long absence from the entertainment industry a few years ago. Excerpts...

Talking about the current phase of his career, he says, “Indian TV is basically dominated by women. So, if I am getting a meaty role at the age of 53, I think I am lucky. By the grace of God, I am getting good shows with good roles and money now. I can say that whatever I have achieved in life, I did it on my own. Whenever I faced failures, it was because I didn’t make the most of opportunities that came my way, my mistakes, and some wrong decisions that I took.”

Nasirr, who always wanted to be an actor like his father, has done movies like Baghban, The Lunchbox and Wazir. Later, he moved to doing TV shows. He says, “Becoming an actor was my childhood dream and I was born and brought up in a filmi environment. But I knew that my father wouldn’t call any director to recommend me. He was a very simple and real person, and had struggled, too. Out of six brothers and sisters, I was the only one who became an actor. My father always encouraged me, stood by me and guided me. But he told me that he wouldn’t call any of his friends in the fraternity to recommend me. He would say, ‘Beta, na koi bolega nahi, aur kaam koi dega nahi. ’ So, it’s better to choose your own path.”

Despite a good start to his career, somewhere things didn’t shape up the way he had expected. He shares, “It’s true that I got good projects, but due to some reason or the other, I couldn’t make the most of it. I never pushed myself hard enough as an actor and accepted whatever was easily offered to me. I didn’t fight to get what I wanted or deserved. There was a time when I was sidelined and replaced at the eleventh hour by other actors, or my role got edited, and I kept mum. But I have no regrets at all. I don’t sit and cry over spilled milk. If I could do it when I had nothing, I can do it now when I have something in hand. That’s what I believe in.”

Nasirr tried his hands at anchoring and worked as a dubbing artist, too. But due to lack of good offers, he left the industry and worked for an MNC. “From 2008 to 2015, I was out of the entertainment industry and worked with a US-based technology company. I was completely disassociated from the entertainment industry. Suddenly, the company crashed and there was a fallout among the investors. I was left high and dry with nothing in hand. But I never cried or slipped into depression. I am very positive and headstrong. I was prepared for a new beginning. So, returning to showbiz was the only option I had. My second innings in the entertainment industry began in 2016,” he says.

Nasirr Khan is the son of yesteryear actor Johnny Walker, but he says many people are not aware of that. “Just the other day, one of my co-actors came running to me and said, ‘Arre aap Johnny Walker ke bete hain, I didn’t know.’ I feel this is something my father would have been proud of... that I have made it on my own in showbiz,” says Nasirr. His original name is Nasiruddin Kazi, but he is known as Nasirr Khan.

He says, “I don’t know how people attached Khan to my surname, but then I went with it. Otherwise, my real name is Nasirr Kazi. My father changed his name for his own reasons in the 50s, but people changed my name on their own.”

Nasirr is happy that he got work in the industry on his own merit. He shares, “People didn’t even realise that I was Johnny Walker’s son and so they didn’t expect me to follow a certain career path. If we sit down to compare the two eras, it is impossible because comedy and films were much simpler in those days when my father acted with stars like Dilip Kumar and Guru Dutt. Now, a child is almost born with a mobile phone, so he will perhaps not find that kind of humour appealing. But, I do feel that people and things were far simpler in those days than now.”

The actor is currently seen in the TV show Shubh Laabh. He has been a part of many films, too, in the past. Ask him about not getting good offers in films, and he says, “My father had his own struggles in the 50s, he made it on his own, left it all and then enjoyed his life. I also want to follow that. Why my films didn’t work or why a certain TV show did not work, is not in my hands. The fact is every actor has gone through his share of struggle. I have learnt now that inner peace and satisfaction are more important. Work is a part of your life, not your whole life. I have seen top actors sliding down and unknown people becoming stars. So, it is all about just enjoying your work.”