Zakir Khan on Chacha Vidhayak Hain Humare: Wanted to tell a story that I have lived
Comedian Zakir Khan says with his Amazon Prime Video show Chacha Vidhayak Hain Humare, he wanted to tell a story that he had lived in his real life.
Khan, one of the popular comedians in the country known for his anecdotal and relatable stand-up acts, is back with the second season of his comedy that revolves around Ronny (Zakir), who leads a double life. To the world, he is the nephew of the local MLA, but in reality he is a jobless 26-year-old.
The comedian, who previously worked with streamer Amazon Prime Video for special Haq Se Single, said most people somewhere have the aspiration to be related to someone famous.
“Initially, the Amazon guys just told me that you’re quite popular, just make something for us. I didn’t want to make a show about random things. I wanted to tell a story that I have lived in real life.
“When I went to Indore and met my friends, I realised that they are exactly the same. It really matters to them and makes them proud if they have a relative who is a popular figure,” Khan told PTI.
The first season, which launched in 2018 on Prime Video, explored Ronny’s adventures as he gets stuck in multiple situations because of his lie.
“It is big deal for some people if they are closely associated with a politician. Even if the politician just acknowledges a person, then that person will tell the whole world about his political links. So that’s how the idea came to me and I decided to tell this story through this series,” he added.
The second season, which will start streaming on Amazon Prime Video from March 26, will see Ronny setting his eyes on a bigger career goal and getting stuck with a new rivalry and a love triangle.
Khan, who hails from Indore, Madhya Pradesh, said the new season will see Ronny transforming from a care-free guy to a careful person.
“Ronny used to be mesmerised by the world of politics from a safe distance. But in season two, he finds himself in that world. Now that the politician is actually his uncle, Ronnie is not that frivolous and flamboyant guy anymore.
“He is a careful person and season two explores this dilemma. Earlier, there were no repercussions of his acts but now there will be.”
When it comes to politics, the 33-year-old comedian said the show looks at the political world from the lens of a common man.
“I talk a lot about politics but that is related to the common man. Similarly, the show looks at the politics through the eyes of a common man. There are two types of politics, one about the common man and the other relates to the politicians,” Khan said.
He added that he has never restricted himself from talking about common man’s problems as it is not there “in my foundation”.
“And at the same time, I don’t look at the things from the perspective of them causing a controversy. I don’t believe that I should add a certain line, so that it can cause controversy. That is not how I live my life. I’m too focussed on telling my stories to the world.”
The second chapter was earlier scheduled to come out in 2020 but was postponed due to the coronavirus pandemic. Now that the new season is set to debut on the streamer, Khan said the feeling of nervousness is back.
“It feels like I have cleared the UPSC exam but still awaiting the date of joining. We have been working on this show for the past two years but the new season kept getting postponed for one reason or the other.
“And these days, even a guy sitting in the Netherlands can say, ‘I can understand your reasons.’ So it was a long wait for all of us and I hope it was ‘worth it’ for the audiences.”