Grime Kids star explains Kai's questionable actions: "There's a reason"
"I was very conflicted," said Shanu Hazzan of his character's behaviour.
BBC Three series Grime Kids, which is loosely inspired by DJ Target's book of the same name, follows a group of friends from east London who form their own crew during their final summer together after finishing school.
They've got their sights set on local talent show Mic of the Manor, a "fast track to fame", but getting there will require skill, savvy and good fortune, which is no small feat, especially given their respective personal challenges.
All of the teens, who are played by rising young talent, have their own hurdles to overcome, which impact them in different ways.
Kai (Shanu Hazzan), who has a strained relationship with his dad, makes several bad decisions, including abandoning Dane (Yus Jamal Crookes) during a police raid and flirting with Gen (DeLove Akra), who Dane also has his eye on, which will certainly raise eyebrows among viewers.
"Not one of his finest moments," Hazzan, who plays Kai, told RadioTimes.com. But the actor wants people to go easy on his character.
"It's interesting because when I first read that in the script, I was very conflicted," he explained. "I wasn't really sure why he behaved like that, what his reasons were for doing those things.
"But as you live with the character, you see where they're coming from, the root of it all. And those different elements of the character and the story will resonate with people. You don’t make mistakes just for the sake of it. There's a reason, it stems from something."
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He added: "And at the end of the day, he's a 16-year-old kid."
Hazzan went on to discuss the relationship between Kai and Dane, which is a key focus of the show.
"It's an interesting dynamic, especially because the character [Kai] really just erupts onto the scene very early on and switches the dynamic of the group completely," he said.
"It changes throughout the series, and I think it's something people will be able to relate to, the new friend that comes into a group and changes what you first thought it was.
"And you don't know if the friendship's going to last. Is it going to fizzle out? It's an interesting thing to see on the screen, for sure."
Another central theme explored in Grime Kids is music, with iconic Bow-based record shop Rhythm Division featuring throughout.
Crookes described it as a "monument of the culture", adding: "People needed music that reflected their reality.
"It was an exclusive place that you could go to to receive that, so it'll be a time capsule moment for people that are a bit older than us, to unlock that youthfulness."
Juwon Adedokun (Bayo) added: "That nostalgic feeling of just being young again. Life feels limitless, you can do anything. So I think the audience are going to be enjoy that."
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All five episodes of Grime Kids are available to stream now on BBC iPlayer. Check out more of our Drama coverage or visit our TV Guide and Streaming Guide to see what's on tonight.
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