If you haven’t seen a Pakistani drama in a while, in three, four years or so, chances are that you won’t recognize more than half the cast of a local drama running on your television screens now. So where did all the crop go?
A lot were just one stint wonders mainly. Others, the select few, are being picked up by the budding film industry of the country. One of the latter ones, he left all of us amazed in some of the biggest recent local drama productions, and is now coming to cinemas near us.
The amazing actor of Mata-e-Jaan Hai Tu and Shukk, the dance stunner of Bin Roye, and now one of the three leads in upcoming Pakistani film, Ho Mann Jahaan. Adeel Husain, Ladies and Gentlemen. We sit with him, we talk with him and we discuss his upcoming film, his co-actors, and a lot more.
Aayan Mirza: Freedom Sound, a Sci-Fi film that doesn’t look like a joke, opposite Mehreen Raheel, I recall thinking in one of my first memories of you; ‘man hasn’t he got all going for him. But it didn’t go as per plans and the film ended up being shelved, from that to Ho Mann Jahaan and beyond, it took time but you still made it. From your first instincts of becoming an actor to the time now, how has it been for you?
Adeel Hussain: Everyone starts out working on some interesting things when they first get bitten by the creativity bug. Amateurishly maybe, but yes, it was one of the earliest projects that I was involved in creatively. It doesn’t really have a direct link with the journey though, except that yes, it was meant to be a showcase of what was possible under ten lac rupees, and see whether it excites producers. Most people at that time said you can’t make a science fiction film in Pakistan.
To see it from here, the journey I guess has been a long one in which I was involved in a lot of independent work, a lot of television, a lot of advertisements, and I have always kept myself grounded in that entire process. That’s mainly the reason why I don’t feel the awe of this gap between then and now, even though I definitely believe that doing a feature film in Pakistan is a big deal.
The fact that films are being made here is definitely impacting me in a positive way and I am focusing more on the present because to go that far back and really get into the entire emotional nitty-gritties of it is something I try to avoid. I focus more on the job at hand. And the job at hand is to make better movies.
Aayan Mirza: Sheheryar, at the trailer launch of the film revealed that you both were actually offered each other’s roles, but after some insisting, you finally convinced the director otherwise. What actually made you guys do that, and now that it is all done, would you say you made the right call?
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Adeel Hussain: See, every creative enterprise has a mind of its own, it was just that when I read the script, I was drawn to Nadir’s character from an acting point of view. And it was just one of those many things that happen before every new project, things like, should we get him in the music? Should we shoot here? Should we shoot there? Which is not such a massive thing. By the time we got to shooting the film, we kind of got settled into those characters, I thought ‘I am liking this’ and then Sheheryar was like, ‘yeah I want to do Arhaan,’ the director was assertive and accommodating and so it happened.
Read what Asim Raza had to say on the same question in his exclusive interview to Galaxy Lollywood here.
Aayan Mirza: In the film you play Nadir, who seems like a fun loving, happy go lucky person earlier but goes on to be more disturbed later. That’s what one can deduce from the trailer. How would you define your character as per your own understanding of it?
Adeel Hussain: I am a firm believer in guarding all secrets regarding the story, and so I won’t really be saying anything about it. I am very happy though, as this is what we look for as storytellers. We play characters, we tell stories, and we get reactions, people predict things, and that’s the whole purpose behind it. Till the movie comes out on 1st January, one would hope to have different things in mind regarding the film; some queries and mysteries that can only be resolved after watching the film.
Aayan Mirza: The film majorly seems about these three young people, aspiring musicians, but hey, what typical parent has ever seen their child’s future in music? You grew up to be an actor in the same society. How much you would say you can relate with your character in particular and the film in general?
Adeel Hussain: First of all, I don’t really acknowledge any generalizations about our society or any other for that matter. I am an optimist that way you can say. As an individual it makes much more sense to focus your motivation inwards no matter what your environment.
If you look into it, a lot of things aren’t even supported abroad, we just feel that way. You think that some kid there will say I want to be an astronaut and his parents would be like, ‘excellent, let’s send you to NASA.’ Studying ‘Consciousness’ is still considered academic suicide in many circles of neuroscience in the developed world. So it isn’t like that.
But yeah, we had or maybe still have a lot of extreme views in this regard, and there are societies that are a lot more open about the choices their future generations make and I think there’s a lot to learn from there. Also we seem to be sensitive to a few things which are really way too old, and perhaps it is the right time to move beyond problems with art especially when we have a rich heritage.
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It’s extremely rare that you don’t find any objection from anywhere to what you are doing. There will always be some people. But you can’t just put parents in a bad light as a lot of young people themselves are so subdued that when parents see them that way, they start feeling that maybe you don’t even have what it takes.
So the push has to come from young people, if they have dreams then they have to communicate them, build on them, suffer and fight for them and hopefully within healthy boundaries, but we can’t predict that. So everybody’s journey has these relatable things as everything in life has its own challenges, and in that sense I was able to relate to it like anything and anyone would have. Even if I wasn’t an actor.
Aayan Mirza: When your dance sequence came in Bin Roye, I actually clapped a bit in the hall. Many Pakistani actors, some of the biggest names in the industry, don’t really find it very natural to dance. What about you? Does it come comparatively easy to you? And should we expect a surprise there from Ho Mann Jahaan in this regard?
Watch the recently released video of the film track, ‘Dil Kare’, here.
Adeel Hussain: Yeah of course, and you must have already seen the trailer, so there are certain things there. But I really believe that work should speak for itself. I hope to, one day, do it so well that it becomes very obvious that yes, it is coming easily. But I definitely enjoy it if it makes sense in the story. I am one of those actors who likes to learn all things required for his character, so if my character drives a rikshaw and I don’t know how to drive one, then I’ll learn it. Same goes for dance. But I don’t like to give away that how much do I know, how much I don’t, but hopefully if it was enjoyable on screen, then I had a bit of fun doing it as well I guess.
Aayan Mirza: Mahira Khan says you, in comparison to Sheheryar, were a more serious co-actor to work with. Is this what you would call your method for work? Also is there a particular school of acting you identify yourself with? Al Pacino and Naseerduddin Shah maybe, or maybe Shahrukh Khan even?
Adeel Hussain: No I don’t define myself that way, inspiration for me is everywhere. If you are going to be a race car driver and say I am only going to look at Michael Schumacher, then you are taking a very limited approach. You must enjoy watching each and every person doing good work because then you get to learn from it, that’s if you are smart enough. If you are not and are narrowing your learning to only one person; just because you have started understanding their work a bit, and feel it’s easy for you this way, then you will only limit yourself in future. You must try to filter out what you think is not for you. So it’s a balance.
As far as any work method is concerned, I just go there to do a job. And will try to balance work and fun with my co actors. Away from set, my objective is that when I am not working I try to enhance my skills, and get better at it as much as possible. On set, I just like to stay in the ‘zone’ on any given day and will try to have fun without breaking that, but it’s no rule. I am adaptable.
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I do take my work seriously, but I like what Mahira said, because my friends do joke with me that you are very serious and all, but I love to have a good laugh like the next person without compromising my process.
So yes, once the work is taken care of and once you are prepared for your work, then I am open to extra fun. But if I feel my time will be better spent in service of prep, then I will give myself some space. If you are having a lot of fun despite lacking preparation, and are compromising the director’s vision, then that’s very inconsiderate of you as an actor and ultimately you are being a liability at some level. I try my best to never be in that situation.
Aayan Mirza: Now done with Ho Mann Jahaan, you have already signed Mehreen Jabbar’s Dobara Phir Se, tell us a little about that project.
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Adeel Hussain: At this point I would just say that I am focusing on one thing at a time. Yes I have signed Dobara Phir Se and it’s something that’s a work in progress, so keep an eye out for it is all I am going to say right now.
Aayan Mirza: Pakistan film industry day by day is making more sense now. There is good work being done, and I am sure an actor like you would have his eyes on it. So tell us, what sort of projects would you like to do next? And like your co-actor Mahira Khan, any Bollywood dreams?
Adeel Hussain: Anything is possible, but I try to simplify other aspects of my work so that all the complexities can be reserved for a particular process. An excellent reference point would be to look at how it all stood five years back, everyone then just had a simple concern that ‘whether films would be made here in Pakistan or not?’ That’s enough to keep you grounded. But along with criticizing yourself at every stage, you must also commend yourself for the journey you have already covered.
My concerns, I think, are the same as anyone else’s, that people have to try to make good and interesting work in accordance to their own taste, and continue to add to the portfolio of films that are being made in Pakistan. You obviously want to be a part of good stories told by competent people. I did that in television, I’ll do that in films. But I don’t identify to the sense that now it’s time for comedy, or this is what I would love to do. Yes, I am developing things and once they come out, hopefully they will represent what I was completely interested in at that point in time. But it’s not set in stone that I must do this or go here, so no straight line, it’s been very instinctive like flying. I am going try to keep on being a part of the kind of work that appeals to me wherever that leads.
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That’s all from this amazing celebrity today guys, we hope you enjoyed. But stay tuned to Galaxy Lollywood as there is a lot more to come from the Ho Mann Jahaan interview series.
