Zain Khan Durrani is an Indian actor. He is known for his performance as Harfan Bukhari in the web series “Mukhbir – The Story of a Spy.” After Zaira Wasim, who played a lead role in the Bollywood film Dangal, Zain Khan Durrani is the second actor from Kashmir to play the lead role in a Bollywood film.
Wiki/Biography
Zain Khan Durrani was born in Bagh e Mehtab, a suburb of Srinagar, Jammu & Kashmir. His zodiac sign is Leo. He did his schooling at Burn Hall School, and Delhi Public School, Srinagar. He completed his graduation in commerce stream at Zakir Hussain College, Delhi. After completing his graduation, he started preparing for the IAS exam as his parents wanted him to be an IAS; however, he later convinced his parents that he was more inclined towards theatre and poetry.
Physical Appearance
Height (approx.): 5′ 11″
Weight (approx.): 75 kg
Hair Colour: Black
Eye Colour: Brown
Body Measurements (approx.): Chest: 40 inches, Waist: 32 inches, Biceps: 16 inches
Family
Parents & Siblings
His father is a doctor, and his mother is a professor of psychology.
Wife
He is unmarried.
Relationships/Affairs
He was once in a relationship with the Indian actress and model Saloni Chopra.
Zain Khan Durrani with Saloni Chopra
Career
As An Actor
Film
Zain Khan Durrani made his acting debut in 2018 with the film “Kuchh Bheege Alfaaz,” directed by Onir.
Poster of the film ‘Kuchh Bheege Alfaaz’
In 2020, Durrani played the role of Lateef Lone in the film “Shikara,” directed by Vidhu Vinod Chopra. In 2021, he played a villain, ISI hijacker Daljeet Singh Dodi, in the film Bell Bottom.
Web series
Zain Khan Durrani made his OTT debut with the eight episodic web series “Mukhbir – The Story of a Spy,” released on 11 November 2022 on Zee 5. The web series is an adaption of the novel “Mission to Kashmir: An Intelligent Agent in Pakistan,” written by Maloy Dhar. It was dubbed into three languages, Telugu, Tamil, and Punjabi. In this web series, Durrani played the character of a secret agent of India, who helped India to win the India-Pakistan war in 1965. In an interview, while talking about his role in the film, Durrani said,
My character, who comes in, is basically from old Delhi. Most of his upbringing happened in a certain way. He is smart, , he has certain skill sets. That’s why he got picked up for the job. Well, he was not psychologically prepared. He can be a fish out of water.”
The setting of the web series is Kashmir, where Durrani belongs to. In another interview, Durrani said that he could relate to his character in the film as he grew up in Kashmir, and was well aware of the difficulties faced by the people due to political instability and violence in the state.
I could not have asked for a better project than Mukhbir to mark my OTT debut. I have grown up in Kashmir and have seen first-hand the challenges faced by the people during riots and wars so being a part of Mukhbir was even more emotional for me. The minute I read the script, I knew that I had to take it up as the character is so inspiring.”
Poster of the web series ‘Mukhbir- The Story Of A Spy’
Radio Jockey
After playing the character of an RJ in the film “Kuchh Bheege Alfaaz,” Durrani tried his hand in the profession in his real life as well. He anchored the second season of a fiction-based thematic drama show, “Lamhe,” aired on 92.7 BIG FM. The show was titled “Lamhe with Zain” and was launched on 16th April 2018. While talking about joining the radio, in an interview, he said,
Storytelling has always fascinated me and when I heard the concept of Season 2 of ‘Lamhe’, it was an instant nod at my end.” He further added, “I’ve already played an RJ in my recent movie and I thoroughly enjoyed the experience. Looking forward to making this one memorable as well.”
Poster of the BIG FM show, ‘Lamhe with Zain’
Controversy
Allegations of physical assault
The Indian actress and model Saloni Chopra accused that she was physically assaulted by Zain Khan Durrani when she was dating him. She revealed this in an Instagram post, though she didn’t mention his name. Later, she came to know about another girl who was facing the same issue while dating Zain Khan Durrani. Saloni Chopra discussed this matter with Onir, who launched Zain in the film industry, but Onir didn’t believe her until he came to know about another girl whom Zain had assaulted. In an interview, Onir talked about this and said,
I met the first girl whom Zain is supposed to have accused. Now there’s a second. Apparently there are several women he has violated. He becomes a different person after 11 pm. If I had known about his history of violence I’d have never mentored him or introduced him to the screen.”
Facts/Trivia
- Zain Khan Durrani has a keen interest in writing poetry. He writes poems in Urdu and English languages and often narrates them on his Instagram account.
A poem by Zain Khan Durrani
- He loves to read books and sing in his leisure time.
- Before starting his career in acting, Durrani assisted film director Onir on the romantic drama film “Shab” in 2017.
- In an interview, Durrani talked about the difficulties one has to face while living in Kashmir, where, according to Durrani, violence is common. He said,
The worst part about growing up in a tumultuous and politically unstable state is that you insidiously get used to the violence around. Almost impermeable but scared and disconcerted within.”
Categories: Biography
Source: SCHOOL TRANG DAI
