Faisal Khan: I never imagined that I would get a challenging role like the child Maharana Pratap….

A good teacher can change the destiny of his students. When Faisal Khan’s dance guru Shrikanta Ahire expressed confidence in him that he would perform with flying colours if he was enrolled for the audition of DID Little Masters on Zee TV, he had already seen a super star in him. Indeed he not only cleared the auditions with ease but emerged the winner of the second season of DID Little Masters.

After attaining his new found stardom, he decided to make his foray into acting. He used to gaze on dreamily at hoardings of upcoming serials of leading Hindi GECs, hoping that he would play the child hero sooner or later.

Though he doesn’t have an acting background, he went forth for the audition of Sony Entertainment Television’s Bharat Ka Veer Putra Maharana Pratap. Being a born winner, he grabbed that role too. The ninth grader now proudly gazes on at the posters and billboards all over Mumbai advertising his show. He ponders, “I had never imagined that I would get a challenging role like the child Maharana Pratap despite being a dancer.”

Playing the protagonist on an epic show like this hasn’t given the child starry airs though. He is continuing to practice for the role on a daily basis. “This role is helping me to brush up on my spoken Hindi. When I went through the dialogue sheet for my audition, I came across very difficult and archaic words. I jokingly tell Marzi Pestonji, the judge of DID Little Masters that the Hindi spoken on his show was so easy but the Hindi in my current show is very complicated.”

Maharana Pratap was a swashbuckling warrior. Faisal who is quite an all rounder already knew sword fighting. He is now further honing his sword fighting skills.

What really served as a challenge to him was to master horse riding. He told us a very interesting tale about his experience with the horse. “I was under the impression that learning to ride a horse would be fun and easy. I soon discovered that it was no piece of cake. The very first step which is to sit atop the horse and manage oneself with the reigns and saddle is not that easy. If you grasp the horse too tightly it leaps into the air which may be quite petrifying for a beginner. I am gradually getting the hang of it.”

He went on to say how he communicated with the horse. “Horses indeed understand human commands with instructions for them. If you want the horse to sprint ahead, you say, ‘harr harr’. To make the horse halt you say, ‘baass, baass’.”

He added that one needs to manage the skill of controlling the horse by the reigns. “My trainer was initially holding on to the reigns of the horse. I thought that I would be able to manage. He asked me to hold the reigns loose and see what happened. The horse was a pregnant horse. I had kicked the horse in the stomach as that is what is to be done to make the horse run. The result was that she fled with me. When I held the reigns upwards, she got very scared and fled further. After all, it was a rural horse and not city bred. Controlling her was tough. I feared that if she sprinted with me on high and low ground, I would fall. My instructor guided me how to make the horse come to a halt, I was successful. Otherwise the horse would take me maybe 20 miles ahead and make a stop at Jaisalmer.”

When the conversation meandered to his gorgeous costume, he said, “The robes I am wearing are of a historical era. Both my costume and jewellery are heavy.”

We then asked him the most obvious question as to what he prefers- acting or dancing and he replied, “I like both dancing and acting. A dancer has to have some acting sense too. After all you need to emote while dancing. I have to say that I prefer dancing though. As a dancer I follow Hrithik Roshan as he has all the qualities an ace dancer should have.”

This bright teenager says that he loves to study History. “I like History as a subject as I enjoy learning about the ancient times. I have learnt about Maharana Pratap in school. He was a valiant warrior who feared nobody. Mughal Emperor Akbar tried hard to capture him but wasn’t successful. I had never imagined that I would play him though.”

This teenager praises his school for being so cooperative to help him balance acting and studies. “I am a student of Mira’s Academy. My parents support me a lot in my endeavours. My Principal had given me a long holiday because of DID. My school continues to support me.”

When Faisal isn’t acting or dancing, he loves to watch and play football. His favourite football team is Manchester United. Who knows maybe we will see this young lad playing a football star next!

We wish him all the best in his career. Bharat Ka Veer Putra Maharana Pratap will premiere tonight (27 May 2013) on Sony TV at 10pm. It will run from Monday to Friday.