Malik Ehtasham
April 16, 2019
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Interview: Ali Zafar
One of Pakistan’s most loved superstars, Ali Zafar is a man of many parts — actor, singer, model and painter.
His hit single ‘Channo’ catapulted him to the dizzy heights of fame. Other hits followed. Then came his debut film in India, Tere Bin Laden, that proved his mettle as an actor, here and across the border. He topped it with the Katrina Kaif, Imran Khan starrer, Mere Brother Ki Dulhan, which was a runaway hit. His next four, Kill Dil with Ranvir Singh and Parineeti Chopra, Total Siyapaa with Yami Gautam and London Paris New York with Aditi Rao Hydari and Chashme Buddoor didn’t quite make a mark. But his latest film Dear Zindagi starring Aalia Bhatt and Shahrukh Khan, which releases on November 25, is expected to send the cash registers ringing. Unfortunately, it will not make it to the Pakistani cinema screens.
But Zafar is not unduly worried. He has begun work on his home production, which was on hold. And alongside, he continues to make music — his first love.
· Over to Ali Zafar for the sound of music, acting and lots more…
Back in the nineties, when you entered showbiz, there was a stigma attached to it. How did your family feel about your choice of career, at the time?
My parents were a little skeptical about me being able to make a living as an artist. We held many long discussions on the subject but, being open-minded people with a background in academics, they understood the importance of the arts and eventually understood and endorsed my plans.
However, they would have preferred a career in the civil service. I remember my father encouraging me to read newspapers diligently to prepare for the civil service exams, but I could never visualise myself in a government office. I wanted respect because of my achievements and not because of my post in a government job. I was a dreamer, an optimist and a romantic. I did not have a detailed plan for realising my dreams, just a lot of passion.
After I graduated from the National College of Arts in 2002, I started working on ‘Channo’ which was released in 2003 and became a bigger hit than anyone of us had ever imagined.
Today, I feel very gratified when I see pride, because of my achievements, in my parents’ eyes.
· Scene from the movie Tere Bin Laden
Once you became a part of the entertainment world, did you find the stigma associated with the industry to be justified?
I did not. On the contrary, I received a lot of love, adulation and respect. No one ever looked down on me because I was a musician or a model or an actor.
I think women have to deal with far greater problems than men in show business. In our society, people assume that a woman in the performing arts is likely to have a dubious family background, which is why parents are almost always hesitant to let their daughters venture into the field. Times, however, are changing and parents need to understand that the industry is no longer the shady place they believed it to be. We have a lot of women in the field today. They make a good living and get a lot of adoration and respect. It is how a person conducts one’s self that determines the amount of respect he/she receives. This is true not just for show business but for all fields. Our society certainly needs female icons to inspire the future generations. Moreover, it is necessary to give women due respect, proper recognition and sufficient space to grow. We need to develop a better appreciation and understanding of women.
So to answer your question, there is certainly a stigma attached to the industry — but primarily for women, which is not justified.
· When you were young and new to the industry, you were linked to a male stylist and a music patron.
Yes, I was, and it hurt me terribly. It was untrue, it was malicious and there was the implication that I may have used sex to get ahead. I was not mature enough at the time to understand that the rumours were being spread because of jealousy and took them to heart. Actually, I became homophobic for a very long time and, it was only several years later, after I had educated myself and thought about the rumours, that I came to see that piece of gossip for what it truly was — trash. Today, I respect everyone’s sexual orientation and, as long as a man does not come on to me, I am fine with who he is.
· Bollywood is one of the largest film industries in the world. Do you believe that exhibiting Indian films in Pakistan or, for that matter acting in Bollywood films, is indicative of lack of patriotism?
Our understanding of patriotism is not very evolved and mature. Patriotism is certainly not xenophobia. Spewing hateful comments about other nations is not a good way of showing patriotism.
The decision to allow the exhibition of Indian films in Pakistan generated a lot of controversy. People were concerned that the action would affect our culture and values. People were also afraid that it would mark the end of Pakistani cinema. Everyone seemed to forget the fact that Indian films were being watched regularly in most Pakistani homes on video cassettes.
Very few films were being made in Pakistan at the time. The number of cinemas had dwindled to around 40. When Indian films started being screened in Pakistan, the number of cinemas increased. Pakistani films consequently had more avenues for exhibiting and made more money. Competition helped improve the quality of our films and the whole industry went through a revival. I do not think anyone could say that allowing the exhibition of Indian films was a bad decision.
