She is one of those rare actors of Pakistan who seeks perfection every time she makes an appearance on screen. Recalling her short but memorable trajectory of work in projects like, Belapur Ki Dayan, Ghughi, Dil-e-Gumshuda and Heer Da Hero, her diverse choice of roles is what makes Amar Khan stand out from the crowd. The actor takes a great leap and bags the leading role in Kashif Nisar’s upcoming drama series Breaking News. So, we at Galaxy Lollywood spoke to the actor for all the deets.
Amar’s First Reaction
It was an instant yes when Nisar approached Amar to headline Breaking News “I am happy that he chose me for the part. I feel blessed to be working with him at this point in my career. Kashif Nisar is a maestro, a visionary storyteller of Pakistan. It is an absolute pleasure and pressure to be a Kashif Nisar heroine. When you work with the best in the business, only then do you realise the amount of hard work and honesty he pours in. He empowers his actors with immense artistic liberation. I believe it’s an honour for any actor to be working on a Kashif Nisar project.”
Amar As Mishaal
The show features Amar as a popular journalist so she had to learn the hosting styles, moods and temperaments of anchors who conduct crime shows. “There were proper rehearsals and workshops required, we had frequent reading sessions. What’s more enticing and captivating is that when I read the first five episodes, I realised that Pakistan has never produced a drama based entirely on journalism. It articulately sheds light on corruption, politics, news manipulation, scheming and plotting functions in journalism. How big channels operate, and how Twitter trends are made.”
Talking about her character, Amar revealed, “It’s an entire journey from scratch, Mishal is a girl from a small town who begins her journey from the road giving beepers. She goes through many roadblocks and hurdles, makes it to a small channel and starts reading late-night news bulletins. Her interview with a big politician goes viral on the internet.
Eventually, she makes it big in the world of journalism and aces her profession like a boss. She has a companion in the form of Hussain, played by Hamza Sohail. She sets an example of how a woman conducts herself in the presence of the vultures and predators in the business. So, this is something very powerful, something Pakistan has never witnessed before.”
Elaborating on the above she added, “When actors talk about choosing different scripts, they aren’t different as such. More or less they are the same revolving around relationships and love angles. The maximum innovation is like showcasing a mentally challenged character or someone good at poetry. But we don’t get to see themes that are relatable and realistic. With news being such an important part of our day-to-day life, no one has attempted a drama like Breaking News.
Working with Hamza Sohail
Amar revealed that she has earned a good friend in the form of Hamza Sohail. “Not many are aware that Breaking News was Hamza’s first solo hero project but Fairy Tale was released before. The best part about Hamza is that he is so humble despite the artistic lineage he comes from. He is truly blessed to have a father like the legendary Sohail Ahmed. It’s heartwarming to see him being so dedicated and serious about his craft. As a co-actor, I struck a great chord with him. I have more work experience than him so I was like his best friend and confidant. Even now, when we aren’t working together, we keep a check via phone call and are there for each other.”
Her Process
Being a film school graduate, the actor feels there is a lot of responsibility on her. “I do my prep work, this is what I have been taught at film school and my training in theatre. If you don’t have the right zest and zeal to perform, it isn’t worth it. People look up to you, a lot of my junior batch mates and the current batch of students personally DM me and ask about stuff. On the work front, I take my time to process. Even in the commercially viable projects that I have been a part of, I make sure that there is something meatier and room to perform. I feel one should be careful in taking his or her trajectory forward.”
When asked about the content being produced these days, Amar said, “The pattern these days is very formulaic. It is sad to see if one drama with a toxic male protagonist or a damsel in distress clicks, people are following that trend blind. What is even sadder is the acceptance of such content by the viewers. They applaud and vividly watch those dramas, if they stop and are open to path-breaking content like Green Entertainment is producing. The situation will be entirely different then. Green has the right velocity and creative forces so nothing better than that.”
Keeping in view the ongoing political circumstances and recent year developments, Amar believes that journalists today have more pressure on the job. “Journalist work fearlessly and are required to be bold and brave, dedicated to their mission of bringing the right news in the most honest way possible. In this process, a lot of them have lost their lives, so Breaking News is especially dedicated to all the heroes and journalists who have lost their lives while on duty. I feel it is the right time to highlight their contributions.”
