Actor Mohammed Zeeshan Ayyub, who appeared alongside the legendary Shah Rukh Khan in Raees, once nearly decided to leave the acting profession entirely.
Confronted with challenges and ongoing disappointments in Bollywood, he started to question his prospects in the field. However, a meeting with King Khan transformed his outlook and rekindled his enthusiasm for acting. SRK's Handshake Convinced His Raees Co-Star To Not Quit Acting Reflecting on his journey, Zeeshan shared with Digital Commentary, "Kuch toh kiya tha uss aadmi ne, badal diya tha andar se. Jab unhone mujhe dekha toh scan kar liya tha ki bhut pereshaan hai aur main tha. I was almost on the verge of quitting acting and leaving, thinking I can’t do this anymore (He must have done something; he changed me from the inside. When he looked at me, he realized I was very troubled – and I was. I was nearly ready to give up acting, believing I couldn’t continue any longer)." He mentioned that a simple handshake from SRK lifted his spirits and motivated him to keep pursuing his career. "I was tired of portraying the same types of characters. Then I thought, if I have to bow out, I’ll do it with a film featuring Shah Rukh Khan. At least if I retire, I’ll have a film with SRK. Unhone haath milaya, toh actually negativity nikal gayi thi. I was like abhi toh bahut kaam karna hai. Unhone rok liya and he made sure ki yahan par kaam karu aur sab badia hoga (When he shook my hand, the negativity truly vanished. I felt like I still had much to accomplish. He stopped me and ensured I remained, telling me, “Work here and everything will be great)," he added. Zeeshan is widely recognized for Raanjhanaa, Tandav and more.
