Talking about the road trip, the actor further shared, “Technically, it is supposed to be a 42-hour drive from Mumbai to Kolkata. We finished it in 60 hours, because we really wanted to enjoy every moment of it. We took short breaks in between for Winter. There was a stretch, where I had to drive through a jungle at night for almost 10 hours. It was quite an adventure.”
Ayyaz feels that it is unhealthy to sit tight at home doing nothing. An idle brain is the Devil’s workshop and it is high time people should get back to work. “It’s sad what happened to Sushant Singh Rajput. Mental health concerns should not be taken lightly, especially now when you are not even socialising. I know so many people in Mumbai, who are depressed for one reason or the other. Also, the pandemic is not going to get over soon. So, I thought this was the right time to pursue my dreams.”
The actor has already started working on the screenplay of a film that he wants to direct himself. Ayyaz said, “I had the story ready. After chasing a few screenplay writers, I realised that this lockdown was making things a bit difficult for me. Now, I am writing it myself. I want to build a team and I am working on it. My brother, who is a DoP, will help me with the shoot. The story, which is just about one night, is set in Kolkata. It’s going to be a bilingual film and I want to keep it as realistic as possible. There are two prominent characters in the film — one is an entrepreneur and the other, a transgender. I would like to send it to different festivals.”
‘Winter has been the best travel buddy ever’
“The journey became even more interesting with Winter, my five-year-old boxer, around. As we all know, dogs see the world not just with their eyes, but nose too. He was busy sniffing and taking in new smells from different parts of the country. He would be really excited when he saw cattle in the vicinity while we were crossing the villages. Though he eats almost everything, I didn’t take a chance this time and only fed him dog food. I had consulted Winter’s vet in Mumbai for the dos and don’ts. She suggested giving him light meals while travelling and stopping after every three or four hours for a walk. She also prescribed a medicine for anxiety, which we were carrying, but Winter didn’t need it at all. He really enjoyed the drive.”
