Muzammil Ibrahim, who won immense love for his role as Inspector Avinash in the acclaimed espionage thriller Special Ops, recently opened up about the journey that led him to that breakthrough part and how his earlier work earned him lasting respect in the industry, even if it didn’t come with a debut award.
In a candid conversation, Muzammil shared how director Shivam Nair had already noticed his work long before Special Ops came his way.“Shivam Nair sir had seen my earlier work. He had watched Dhokha. Whatever work I had done in the industry back then had created a name for itself—even though I didn’t receive a debutant award,” Muzammil recalled.
“But there was a lot of appreciation within the industry. The film was critically acclaimed, and critics had written that I was ‘the discovery of the decade.’” Veteran critics like Taran Adarsh, Rajeev Masand, and Anupama Chopra had penned glowing reviews, claiming Muzammil was poised to give tough competition to contemporaries like Ranbir Kapoor and Imran Khan.
That early promise stayed in people’s minds, he says, and was evident even during his time working with legendary actor Nana Patekar. “When I was working with Nana Patekar sir, the first thing he told me was, ‘I really liked your work, that’s why I agreed to work with you.’ And Nana sir is very strict and transparent. He doesn’t mince words. That was pure love.”
According to Muzammil, his reputation as a strong actor quietly grew within the industry. “People who had seen my work believed in my acting. That built a certain value. When I met Shivam Nair sir again, he told me, ‘Where did you disappear? We thought India had found its new superstar!’ I told him I was trying my best.”
Two years after that meeting, an audition came up. Shivam Nair watched it and was so impressed that he took Muzammil directly to Neeraj Pandey, the show’s creator. “Shivam sir took me to Neeraj sir and said, ‘Lock him.’ That was the moment.”
Muzammil’s performance in Special Ops as Inspector Avinash was noted for its intensity and screen presence, earning him a fresh wave of admiration. For many viewers, it felt like a long-overdue comeback of a talent who had once been hailed as the next big thing.
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