Saad Bilgrami on ‘Panchayat 3’: It’s going to be very different from what I’ve played in ‘Gharwapsi’, ‘Khuda Haafiz’- exclusive!

Actor Saad Bilgrami who is known for ‘Gullak’, ‘Gharwapsi’, ‘Khuda Haafiz- Chapter 2 Agni Pariksha’, ‘TVF Pitchers’ and ‘Sonu Beauty Parlour’ among others, is currently garnering accolades for his recently released projects like ‘Scam 2003’ and ‘Lakhan Leela Bhargava’. The actor gets candid about why his upcoming project ‘Panchayat 3’ is very important for him, rise of OTT and other upcoming projects in the pipeline in an exclusive conversation with ETimes.

Tell us something about ‘Panchayat 3′. What should audiences expect?

It’s going to be very different from what I’ve played in ‘Gharwapsi’, ‘Khuda Haafiz’ and others. The character belongs to Delhi. It’s a very interesting project and at the same time very important for me because my father suffered a heart attack and was not well. He used to watch the previous seasons of Panchayat. So I really wanted to be a part of this show in any way. I’m keeping my fingers crossed and very excitedly waiting for it. Overall it was a wonderful experience working with Jitendra. He’s so cooperative and down to earth. It felt very home like the atmosphere on set.

Tell us something about your role in the series

The character which I play in ‘Panchayat 3’ is a new one about which I cannot speak much at the moment. I am a huge fan of ‘Panchayat’ and more than me it’s my father. He has watched Season 1 almost 8 times. So, it’s a big thing for me. I would like to thank TVF that at least I got to work in this show. So, I am really excited. It is a big show andis very beautiful.

Do you feel OTT has emerged as a boon for actors like you in terms of getting good roles?

Yes, absolutely, if you have talent you can surely make it. But yes, you need to have that professionalism and good values in you as well to break into the industry I feel. Your values really help you to get more work and earn trust of people who work with you. Because of OTT, people who come from outside the industry also get to play lead or parallel lead kind of roles. So because of the evolution of content, there are so many roles written for actors like us.

What kind of challenges have you faced as an outsider?

I feel this new generation of actors are lucky enough because of social media and OTT, getting work is not that difficult but yes to sustain it! If it was 10-20 years ago, we would’ve also struggled for many years. like how Rajpal Yadav, Nawazuddin Siddique, Manoj Bajpayee, Irfan Khan carved a niche for themselves through their years of hard work. I’m very grateful that I got the exposure at the right time and didn’t struggle in terms of searching for work. I feel if you have talent you will somehow survive.

What’s next ?

I have ‘Gullak’ season 4, ‘Lakhan Leela Bhargava’ season 2 and there’s a show for TVF which is very different from what they always do. So I’m also a part of that show.