Riyaz Khan: After Shah Rukh Khan, Vijay is the best entertainer in Indian cinema

Riyaz Khan has predominantly worked in Malayalam films, but he has also made his presence felt in the Tamil, Telugu, and Hindi film industries. And he has got to work alongside many stars from all industries.

In a recent interview, Riyaz spoke about Tamil star Vijay. According to him, Vijay is the biggest entertainer after Shah Rukh Khan. Riyaz also said that Vijay started calling him "brother" after they worked together on the film Badri, in which they played siblings.

“I have been in touch with Vijay even though it has been a long time since we acted together. He is a very humble person and calls me ‘brother’ after working together on Badri, since I played his brother in that film. That speaks volumes about our relationship. I have also acted in Sura as his antagonist. We even live in the same area now. I would say Vijay is the biggest Indian star. After Shah Rukh Khan, the title of 'biggest entertainer' suits him well," Riyaz told Silly Monks Malayalam in an interview.

The actor also opened up about his early cinematic experiences. He said that he was to star as the protagonist in Sargam, the debut film of South Indian actress Rambha. But he was later turned down because he looked younger than Rambha.

“I was fixed as the protagonist for Sargam, but it didn't materialise because I looked younger than Rambha. Later, the role went to Malayalam actor Vineeth. Vineeth still doesn’t know about this. This is something that has stayed between me and director Hariharan sir," Riyaz said.

Recently, Riyaz reacted to the alleged decision of the FEFSI (Employees Federation of South India) to ban actors from other language industries from working in Tamil films. He said that he will act in Tamil films even if he is banned because he is a part of the Indian cinema industry.

He questioned what would happen to actors like Mohanlal and Sanjay Dutt if such a decision is taken, since they are a part of Tamil films like Leo and Jailer.