The budding star from Chalay Thay Saath talks about his role, his experiences, his expectations.

Tell us about your role in Chalay Thay Saath?

I play the role of Faraz. I was immediately drawn to the character because like the others, he is a multidimensional, real person. Since the film has not been released I cannot give away too much about the plot nor the character but I will say that as an actor

I enjoyed played the role and exploring various facets of Faraz’s character and his journey to find meaning and purpose in his life.

How did you land this role? Who approached you?

I have known Umer Adil (the director) and Beenish Waiz (the producer) for a number of years. We worked in the past on a TV cooking show called “Bachelor Bawarchi”. So when Umer was working on the script he approached me to discuss the role of Faraz. We had a series of very productive meetings with the team, including the writer Atiya Zaidi to flesh out the character. The chemistry between us all made sense and that guided us to take the project forward with me in it. Also I threatened to harm Umer and his family if he did not give me the part.

We know your claim to fame is Black Fish and Bachelor Bawarchi which were quite famous in their own rights. So what made you to switch to acting in films?

As I mentioned, Umer approached me with the idea. I have always been more inclined to work on a film than TV. For me a project like a film’s appeal lies in the story, the characters and the team working on it. Chalay Thay Saath checked all the boxes and I never once regretted the decision.

How has your experience been so far?  

In a word, fantastic. Every aspect of the filming process was a wonderful experience. For one thing, it required us to travel and live together in a place that is absolutely beautiful. The environment was key in keeping everyone in a good mood, most of the time at least. The people as well made a huge difference, from the spot boys to the cast to the crew, everyone came together as a single unit. As challenging as it is for people to leave their homes and live for 6 to 8 weeks away from their families, for me, as an actor this was a blessing. Being there put me in a frame of mind that kept me focused on work. There were no distractions or excuses to be late or miss a rehearsal and we even got the opportunity to hang out with everyone to keep up the positive energy.

Would you like to share any experience from the shoot which you can’t forget?

It may sound cheesy but there really isn’t a particular experience I can single out. The entire experience was great. The writer, director, ADs, cast and our DoP were very supportive when it came to discussing scenes, rehearsing and making sure we were all satisfied with every take.

We just got to know you are doing another film as well, can you tell is about it?

Chalay Thay Saath is actually my second feature. The first is titled ‘Rahm’; an adaptation of Shakespeare’s ‘Measure for Measure’. We shot this in Lahore last year and it is a great script with a solid cast which includes Sanam Saeed and Sajid Hasan. But for some strange reason there has been no publicity or promotion. But whenever it is released

I am looking forward to watching it and people’s reactions to the character I have played. ?

What are your upcoming projects?

Nothing as yet. Oh yes, I have to wash the dishes and clean my cupboard!