Tandav actor Zeeshan Ayyub recalls DU days when he saw politics from 'close proximity

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Actor Mohammed Zeeshan Ayyub has recalled his time as a student of Delhi University, where he says he saw politics from close proximity.

The actor is seen in the new digital project "Tandav", in which he plays Shiva Shekhar, a student in a Delhi-based university called VNU. His character becomes a student leader who is drawn into a political quagmire.

Asked if he took inspiration from any real-life people or incidents for his role, Zeeshan told IANS: "I keep reading things and I am quite an aware person when it comes to politics. I was also a student of Delhi University so, I have seen politics from very close proximity. It was homework of 20 years. I did not take inspiration from any (real life person or incident) because it is a fictional character though my subconscious might have taken some inspiration from real life people."

As a student of Delhi University's Kirori Mal College, he wasn't actively involved in politics. "But I was there. Any person who studied in DU, especially the North campus, has to be blind to not follow politics because you can see it everywhere around you," he said.

"I was not part of any political party, but I had friends in most of the parties and we used to discuss things sitting in hostel rooms, canteen or anywhere," he recalled.

Created and directed by Ali Abbas Zafar, "Tandav" is a political drama. The series also features Saif Ali Khan, Dimple Kapadia, Sunil Grover, Tigmanshu Dhulia and Gauahar Khan.

"It's about exploring the political world from the inside rather than talking about it in a vague sense," said Zeeshan.

The show premiered on Amazon Prime Video on January 15.