Iresh Zaker Balancing work and play

Iresh Zaker entered the entertainment arena with quite a heavy family name to live up to, but over the years, he has made his own place in the industry, with his natural, fluent acting in a variety of roles -- on the sidelines of his professional work as an advertising and marketing specialist. His wit, talent and charismatic persona have won the hearts of many, not just as an actor but a TV and occasional radio personality. In an interview with the Daily Star, he talks about his journey in the media:

“I never expected to be here. I used to do voiceovers for radio dramas. I did a voice over for 'Sisimpur', a popular children's show. In the meantime, I also did some voiceovers for several documentaries and advertisements. Out of the blue one fine day, Ratan Paul approached me with a proposal to do a role for a TV project. I thought it would be great if I could follow my parent's path to a small extent. And here I am, acting my way.”

“It has almost been 10 years of my acting career. As days go by, I am starting to realise that this industry is going awry. Initially, we used to have big budgets for drama or series. We used to shoot for a particular role for days. But now, we have to wrap up everything within a day or so. The deterioration of this industry is very transparent. Moreover, now people are acting for fame not out of passion. Things have changed; acting is no longer a passion.”

“At the time when my parents used to act, all the good actors were on one screen. Their performances were amazing, their dramas were amazing; they were true performers.”

“Acting has never been my prime focus. It's hard to run a family solely by acting. I do my best to balance my work and my acting life. I make sure that the two don't collide. That is why I mostly do TV plays during Eid. You really have to create a situation like that to have quality. Any sort of collision – be it work, acting or personal life -- can cause a person's downfall. Being balanced is the wisest thing to do in one's life.”