Actor Junade Khan has opened up about his time so far as Idris Nazir in ITV’s Corrie
Coronation Street star Junade Khan has said it was ‘surreal’ to be recognised during a trip to Alton Towers following his debut in the long-running show.
It was back in May that the actor arrived in Weatherfield as Idris Nazir. But as fans may already be aware, it wasn’t the first time Junade had ever appeared in the ITV soap, which is filmed in Salford.
Junade, also known for roles in Game of Thrones, Hollyoaks and Waking the Dead, actually appeared in Corrie before, for two episodes back in September 2008 as Saj, a short-term boyfriend of Rosie Webster.
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But his return to the street in May saw him taking on the role of Idris, who at the time was said to be the cousin of long-standing character Alya Nazir. However, he has since dropped a family bombshell and confirmed to Alya that he’s her uncle. He revealed that Yasmeen Nazir’s husband, Sharif, had an affair with his mother, and therefore he’s her late father Kal’s half-brother.
Making his arrival, Idris made quite the impression as he strolled into Speed Daal and forced two inappropriate customers to pay up, supporting Leanne Battersby and Brody Michaelis, who were struggling to get through to them. It didn’t take long for Leanne to fall for Idris’ charms, while Brody has also been taken under his wing, but with dodgy consequences.
And Idris’ appearance in Weatherfield has changed things for Junade. Asked about the public’s reaction: “I try to stay away from reading comments online, but I was actually surprised by how quickly people recognised me.
“It happened after just the first episode! I went to Alton Towers, wearing a hat and sunglasses, and people still came up to me. It was surreal. Even though he’s not the most likeable character right now, I’m confident that as people see more dimensions to him and find the humour in him, they’ll start to warm to him.”
Speaking about Idris as a character, now that he’s had months in the new role, the soap star shared: “I’m absolutely loving the character. He’s really developed over the last month or so; something has just clicked. I’m understanding him much better now and getting to grips with the style of Coronation Street.
“It’s a delicate balance—it can’t be too subtle like in some dramas, it has to be a bit heightened, but still grounded in realism. I’ve started to truly embrace the character. He’s brilliant because he has so many dimensions. While he isn’t liked by everyone, there is a lot of vulnerability there, especially in his relationships with Leanne, Sam, Brody, and Alya.”
As for Brody, with Corrie fans worried that Idris is taking the troubled teen down a dark path, Junade added: “It depends on how you look at it. He does like Brody,he’s a funny lad, but he doesn’t trust him with big business decisions because he lets himself down with alcohol and maturity.
“He uses him for the ‘dirty jobs’ while keeping him on board. In a way, he’s trying to step into a father figure role to guide him away from ending up like his dad, Mick. He’s telling him that in the real world, you have to be tough to get where you want to be. It’s perhaps not the best advice, but Idris believes he is more intelligent than Mick and is trying to save Brody from that path.”
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