Quick wins for a faster PC:
Clear out junk files and repair common Windows errorsFree Scan →Fix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitchesFind Drivers →Repair Windows errors before they cause bigger problemsFix Now →In a November 2020 interview with Scroll, actor Mohammed Zeeshan Ayyub discussed playing Manish in A Simple Murder, the opportunities and risks he saw in digital entertainment, and why staying silent about politics troubled his conscience. “If I don’t speak out, I can’t sleep peacefully,” he said. His comments are a snapshot of his views at the time, not a guide to current streaming availability or regulation.
What Ayyub said about A Simple Murder
Ayyub played Manish in the SonyLIV series, whose story turns on mistaken identity and a botched contract-killing assignment. In his November 2020 interviews, he described Manish as a character with shifting, sometimes contradictory shades. The Indian Express interview framed the question as whether Manish is a victim or a troublemaker; Ayyub’s answer was that he is human rather than simply good or bad. “There is no fun in making a character just white or black,” he said.
![Today You Die [DVD]](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/51t-2kWa1wL._SL160_.jpg)
A vulnerable man who can scheme
As The Indian Express described the setup, Manish starts out as a loser trying to satisfy his wife Richa’s desire for wealth. As events unfold, he reveals a capacity for scheming and violence. Scroll likewise characterized him as jumpy, with an attitude that changes from scene to scene. Ayyub said that the character’s many shades and development made the role appealing.
Instinct, script and improvisation
Ayyub said he combined his own instincts with what the script provided. He also improvised a breakdown monologue. His account presents Manish not as a fixed type but as a performance built through the character’s changes and the actor’s choices within the written story.
#1 Best Overall
Why Ayyub said he spoke out about politics
Scroll’s November 22, 2020 interview placed Ayyub’s acting career alongside his public political expression. The article reported his engagement with protests against the Citizenship Amendment Act and the National Register of Citizens, and his concern that speaking about politics could carry a professional cost. That concern was his, as reported in the interview; it does not establish that political expression caused a particular employment outcome.
Ayyub explained the personal dimension of religious division by referring to his family: his mother is Hindu and his father Muslim. Recalling a December 2019 press conference, he said, “When somebody tries to create a division between our religions, it feels like my parents are fighting.” In Scroll’s account, speaking out was tied to conscience and to the way public arguments about religion touched his own family.
His 2020 view of digital entertainment and censorship
In interviews around the release of A Simple Murder, Ayyub described digital entertainment as an opportunity for a wider range of work—not only for actors, but also for writers and directors. He also warned that a star system was emerging on digital platforms, reproducing a familiar hierarchy rather than automatically opening the field to everyone.
On censorship, he opposed restrictions on digital content. “Censorship doesn’t make any sense at all,” he told The Indian Express. These were his views in November 2020; they should not be read as a description of current rules or platform policies.
Recommended Free Tools
Roles and stories he hoped to take on
In the Scroll interview, Ayyub named historical revolutionaries and playwright Safdar Hashmi among the figures he would like to portray. He also said he was waiting for a feature adaptation of Dharamvir Bharti’s novel Gunahon Ka Devta. He mentioned the book as a story he hoped to see adapted, not as a tie-in to A Simple Murder.
Quick Recap
Best Value
Rank #4
Sources and date
- Devarsi Ghosh, Scroll, November 22, 2020: Ayyub on politics, family, A Simple Murder and roles he hoped to play.
- Arushi Jain, The Indian Express, November 21, 2020: Ayyub on Manish, improvisation, digital entertainment and censorship.
- Suhani Singh, India Today, November 22, 2020: Interview context on acting and digital work.
- Priyanka Roy, The Telegraph, November 23, 2020: Interview context on the series, career and activism.
Product prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on Amazon at the time of purchase will apply.
