Mar 29, 2026 7:36pm IST
Iqbal Khan: ‘It’s High Time Indian Daily Soaps Move Ahead From Kitchen Politics’ (EXCLUSIVE)
Iqbal Khan is back with a new show, “Yaadein - Ek Doctor Do Zindagiyaan” where he plays a doctor who suffers from partial retrograde amnesia after a traumatic accident. As he wakes up, he realizes how his life has changed with divorce, loss of a child and soured equations with colleagues. In a chat with Variety India, he spoke about how it was high time, Indian TV explored fresher concepts.
What made you sign up for this daily soap?
I think the broader concept itself was pretty inviting to me as a human being and as an artist. First of all, it's a show which has a lot of wisdom. It's a show which is really high on emotions. And it is something which has not been done before on TV.
There have been medical dramas of sorts on Indian TV, but not too many. It's also an adaptation of an international show, which rarely happens on television. I think the last one I remember was “Jassi Jaisi Koi Nahin.” We have numerous adaptations of foreign reality shows in India but not many in fiction. The name of the original show is “DOC.”
How was it like working with Gulki Joshi who is known as a very good actress?
We are all having a very good time on the show shooting. Everyone is lovely on sets. Gulki (Joshi) is also special because her mum used to write dialogues for my first series (“Kaisa Yeh Pyaar Hai”). It was also on the same channel. I think she brings a lot of positive energy to the set. It's always good to have that on your side.
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You have had a long career on Indian TV. What motivates you to sign up for a show at this juncture?
I think there are quite a few things that one has to look into. First is the storyline, then is your character, then is the production house, then is the money. I think these are a few things that one has to look into before taking up a show. Unless one has a bank balance problem, then you can't look into anything.
What are the shows you’re currently watching on OTT or TV?
My wife and I do enjoy watching series on OTT. She likes her chick flicks but I don’t enjoy them (laughs). But sometimes I end up watching anyway! However, she watches everything that I watch and ends up liking it. My wife likes “Bridgerton” but I do not enjoy it much. I really liked the second season of “Kohrra.” I thought it was really cool and ground-breaking at the same time. It was dark, slow and deep. It had all the ingredients of a top-notch production.
People loved your previous show, “Na Umra Ki Seema Ho,” despite the age gap between actress Rachana Mistry and you? TV show writers seem to be tackling love stories with age gaps much better than those in films?
When the first trailer came, we definitely felt that there could be some kind of backlash because of the age difference between Rachana and me.
But,it was shot in a very nice way, like there was no physical intimacy involved. It was not a trailer where the couple were running around the trees or singing or hugging or kissing, nothing of that sort.
When the show started, the characters were built in a nice way. It highlighted the sense of liberation and wisdom you attain with middle age. The younger girl was kind of living her life, learning from the wisdom which the 40-year-old had. And that kind of clicked with the audience. People who had gone through that in life, in terms of living and seeing different phases of life, resonated with it. On the other hand, younger audiences looked at it and found it enlightening.
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