It seems the cycle of never-ending drama just cannot let go of Hamza Ali Abbasi’s life. After announcing his marriage to Naimal Khawar out of the blue in late August, the Parwaaz Hai Junoon star is now preparing his fans for another bombshell. In his latest tweet, he hinted at his ’10 year journey’ nearing ‘an end.’ While that cryptic tweet leaves much room open for interpretation, it would not be much of a stretch to speculate that Hamza is preparing to abandon the show business ship altogether, from which he has been (very publicly) disaffected anyway in recent years.

Hamza, the star

Whatever your opinions may be about the Jawani Phir Nahi Aani star you cannot deny that he has built an impressive repertoire of performances in films, television serials, and even theater productions. His political leanings and opinions aside, he remains a bankable performer. His versatility is why we think he has proven himself to be an asset, therefore losing him is not something we are too thrilled about.

We kind of saw it coming

The actor, who once gave a TEDx talk titled ‘Neutrality in a time of crisis is a sin’ is famously known to be active on the entire spectrum of political and social issues. And interestingly, unlike other performers, his activism despite stirring numerous controversies has not seemed to affect his star profile or the quality of projects he has signed on to. Quite the opposite, his stardom has only gotten bigger and his projects ever more prestigious.

Hints of Hamza’s overt social activism were always there, even in his initial projects. Stepping into the world of acting by dabbling with theater, he later debuted as a director with his first film Mudhouse and the Golden Doll. That film dwelled on the issue of child abuse and the psychological trauma it takes upon its victims.

Later on in 2013, his breakthrough film role in Waar, where he played special-forces officer Ehtesham Khattak, was imbibed in the themes of patriotism, duty to the motherland and battling the country’s enemies — themes which also make their way in most of Hamza’s contemporary social media commentary and his interviews with the media.

On the heels of his success in Waar, in January 2015 Hamza formally joined the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf, whose political agenda and founding politician Imran Khan he had quite publicly supported. He was appointed as the Secretary for Culture within the party.

However, all of that came to pass as the Pyarey Afzal actor was (very publicly) displeased with the trailer of 2015’s Jawani Phir Nahi Ani, to the extent that he completely disassociated himself from the movie’s promotions. That film, which would go on to become a commercial blockbuster and a trendsetter of sorts of local comedies, featured a trailer showcasing a shirtless Hamza, running in certain shots after scantily clad women and having a wild time in Bangkok. This very directly clashed with the more conservative image he wanted to project, an image that would be in line with what is considered to be more socially acceptable by the masses in Pakistan. He resigned from his political post once the film’s trailer started to create waves.

However, that did not mean that Hamza was putting social and political activism on a backburner. Quite to the contrary, with the success of JPNA, the star became very selective in terms of signing on to new projects, ensuring he only chose those ventures that reinforced the somewhat non-typical (for showbiz) social and traditional values he very publicly espoused and advocated.

Mann Mayal saw the actor dabble with romantic drama again after his hit serial Pyarey Afzal, however, this time around his body language was more restrained and his performance more controlled. And as if to reinforce his nationalist son-of-soil credentials, last year’s Parwaaz Hai Junoon saw Hamza play a patriotic air force pilot who sacrifices his life for the country (as his character did in Waar).

Hamza, the political commentator takes over

While his movie career was shaping up rather well, Hamza decided to take over the mantle of a political commentator. Starting in November 2016, he formally joined BOL TV, hosting his talk show which featured his political monologues aplenty.

All of this hinted at an individual itching to break free from the world of showbiz which he had ideological disagreements with, who was molding a more pious and nationalist persona that would set the stage for his formal entry (or re-entry) into politics.

And that, ladies and gentlemen, is what just might be in the offing. While we certainly don’t mind opinionated celebrities, losing them to what they consider is their calling (in this case, politics and social activism) is another matter altogether!

Do let us know in the comments below what you prefer – Hamza, the actor or Hamza, the political maverick?