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EXCLUSIVE: Money Heist’s Shakir aka Ajay Jethi on Season 5, returning to India, being the only Indian in show
Ajay Jethi, the only Indian face in the much-acclaimed Spanish series, Money Heist, spoke to Pinkvilla exclusively. From Barcelona over a call, Ajay explained how the show was like any other new project for him, but the recognization he has got after that is unprecedented. He also opened up on his want to be back home and work in Bollywood and his love for cinema. Read.
The latest rage surrounding La Casa De Papel aka Money Heist is for everyone to see. The show has easily become a major hit in pop culture and recently dropped its fourth season on Netflix creating quite a storm. While the super hit robbery show has been making fans around the world a little less anxious about the lockdown, Ajay Jethi, the only Indian face in the much-acclaimed Spanish series spoke to Pinkvilla exclusively. From Barcelona over a call, Ajay explained how Money Heist was like any other new project for him, but the recognization he has got after that is unprecedented. He also opened up on his want to be back home and work in Bollywood and his love for cinema.
"Kala ek aisi mashuka hai jo apne aashiq ke saath kabhi dhoka nahi karti, par sharth hai ki woh ashiq sacha hona chahiye (Art is such a lover which will never backstab you, only condition being, the lover should be real!)," Ajay said as he reminiscence his journey from India to Spain. Hailing from Patiala, Punjab, Ajay shared that his parents sent him to Spain to keep him away from acting but he found out about an acting class in the country and started working there as a professional artist. He also worked in a few Punjabi films in the last five years and became a distributor for Hindi films in Spain last year. 
"When I got a call for Money Heist from the Manager, it was like any other project for me, a new project for me. The manager told me it is a big project and the series is famous on Netflix. But, I had not seen the series till then as I was occupied with other things. I did not give any auditions because I worked a lot with the casting director for this, on many projects before," revealed Ajay aka Shakir, the Pakistan hacker from Money Heist.
Ajay revealed that after coming on board, he watched the show to be prepared for his character and really liked it. He, in fact, explained that it was only after the Indian and Pakistani community in Spain messaged him asking if he is really doing the show, he realised, "my community people are also watching it in Spain. I had not realized that it has been dubbed in English and is being watched worldwide." But, Ajay was not prepared for the overwhelming response he got post the show's fourth season released on Netflix.
"On 4th April, before I could ask any friend, I saw hashtags and messages from India and Pakistan for Shakir. That's when I realized that the character is being well received. It was so overwhelming and such a happy feeling for me," an ecstatic Jethi concurred.''
He also emphasized that he now wants to come back to Mumbai and do some work in his own 'Mulk'. "I am comfortable with Spanish cinema as the style of working here gives us creative freedom as an actor. They value each character. Punjabi industry is growing rampantly but it is still not on the same level. But, I genuinely want to be a part of what was earlier called parallel independent cinema where actors like Naseeruddin Shah, Om Puri, Shabana Azmi, shined. In today's time, films like Angrezi Medium, Hindi Medium, Paan Singh Tomar, Lunchbox, are the kind of films I want to be a part of. This phase of commercial independent cinema is what is very interesting."
He further stated that he was, in fact, planning to return to India last year and "decided to do theatre and contact people for casting," but got the offer to turn distributor. "I think this happened so that I could see this day today," he marvelled emotionally.
Lastly, what about Money Heist 5? Is he part of it? "The lockdown in Spain has affected shooting, all the other projects are on hold. Right now, I don't know when will the fifth season of Money Heist start, or if my character will be continued, there is no information as yet. Till 11th May, lockdown is continued here."
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