By any definition, Fahad Mustafa is a star, a showbiz celebrity. He is ubiquitous ­­­­­­— leading man in many blockbuster films, the face of television’s most popular game show, the man behind many successful TV dramas, and selling everything from mobile phones to skincare to toilet bowl cleaners in countless advertisements. But no starry tantrums welcome you when you enter his office at Big Bang Entertainment in a posh locality of Karachi. The actor-turned-producer has made it big since partnering with Dr Ali Kazmi four years back and giving hits on television such as Doosri Biwi, Rang Laaga, Muqaabil, Teri Raza etc.

I ask Fahad how it feels to produce dramas for TV and not act in them. “I love being part of the creative process, although my creativity is at its best when I’m acting,” he says, sitting behind the desk where he reads scripts every day. “Before becoming a producer, I didn’t have much to do in plays besides acting, but now that I’m not in front of the camera, I can give advice to the writers, suggest a few things and hope that the audience will relate to them.”

The first time I met Fahad was some four years back was when he was only a TV star — Na Maloom Afraad (NMA) hadn’t yet released and ARY’s game show Jeeto Pakistan (JP) had also not gone on air. Fast forward to 2017 and now the 34-year-old is not only one of the most popular actors in the country but his fame has skyrocketed with JP, films and commercials. He is one of the few actors in Pakistan who can pull it off from any platform. He has been part of the resurgence of cinema with NMA, Mah-i-Mir (winner of the Dada Sahab Phalke award in India), Actor In Law (the biggest hit of 2016) and Na Maloom Afraad 2 doing well in cinemas.

Actor Fahad Mustafa reflects on his popularity as a movie star, the handful of people in the film industry he wants to work with, and the contemporary trends in film and TV production

“After Mah-i-Mir won the award in India, my father [TV actor Salahuddin Tunio] said ‘Oh, we will have to respect you now that you have won such a huge award’,” Fahad says. “I have been very selective when it comes to films and maybe that’s the reason they have been successful. I try my best to give my 100 percent because when you have 60 scenes that will be shown on the big screen, you have to be near-perfect if not perfect.”

Being the son of a famous Sindhi/Urdu actor has both advantages and disadvantages. Since making his debut a decade ago, he has had to prove that he is not just another “star son” by taking on challenging roles, both on TV and in films. After a quiet 2014, he came back strong with Mah-i-Mir where he played the poet Mir Taqi Mir and had to adopt an Urdu accent with no hint of his Sindhi lineage. AIL had him in the role of a fake lawyer who helps the poor and stands up against the rich. The sequel to NMA saw him and his team in South Africa where they con an Arab Sheikh; and next year he is all set to share the screen with Humayun Saeed in Jawani Phir Nahi Ani 2 (JPNA2).

“Working in films and becoming a star is something every actor dreams of,” Fahad says as he delivers a version of the iconic the line from AIL. “I hope our filmmakers treat films with respect and not make films that should have been [television] dramas. I could never pull off three plays at a time while many actors are now working in three films simultaneously. How can a person wear the same jacket, sport the same haircut and getup in all three?” The reference is pointed out but he chooses not to take names. “If you compile the scenes from my films you will see a vast difference between the characters because that’s how film actors are supposed to be. Actors who memorise the script are a dying breed but to go on the sets underprepared is a crime and the sooner these newbies understand that, the better.”

The late Bollywood actor Om Puri called Fahad Mustafa as big as Salman Khan and Shah Rukh Khan, something that makes him feel proud. “It was during the promotional tour of Actor In Law that Puri sahib saw the huge number of people wanting to meet me. I had to be removed under heavy security from a mall in Karachi during the AIL promotional tour due to a huge crowd that was chanting my name. It scared me. Om Puri was very surprised to see all that and told me ‘Abay, tu to star hai!’ [Hey, you’re a star!]”

The late Bollywood actor Om Puri once called Fahad Mustafa as ‘big’ as Salman Khan and Shah Rukh Khan, something that makes him feel proud. “It was during the promotional tour of AIL that Puri sahib saw the huge number of people wanting to meet me. I had to be removed under heavy security from a mall in Karachi during the AIL promotional tour due to a huge crowd that was chanting my name. It scared me. Om Puri was very surprised to see all that and told me ‘Abay, tu to star hai!’ [Hey, you’re a star!]”

Fahad Mustafa essays the role of poet Mir Taqi Mir in the film Mah-i-Mir | Walnut Communications
Fahad Mustafa essays the role of poet Mir Taqi Mir in the film Mah-i-Mir | Walnut Communications

He credits his ascent to JP and terms it his confidence-booster. “When I started doing the show, I didn’t know it would be appreciated so much. I even get feedback from outside Pakistan where people love the show while, within Pakistan, JP has made it impossible for me to go out in public. It has given me the power to say no to film producers and it is one of the reasons I don’t do dramas anymore. I feel that if I ever get mugged, even the culprit would ask me for a selfie,” he laughs. “My father used to be a very popular TV actor in the ’80s and people loved to meet and talk to him. By the grace of Allah, I have taken that popularity to the next level. I was a regular guy until JP made me what I am now.”

There are a lot of game shows airing on different channels. Some attract controversy on a daily basis while others are bashed for being explicit or vulgar. Fahad feels that if a person performs from the heart, nothing can go wrong. “Although we have a lot of meetings before the show, when the camera is on, I go with the flow. The less you plan, the more you enjoy. I try to remain honest even when I’m being sarcastic and, since I have no hidden agenda, people accept my remarks with a smile. It has been more than three years since I’ve been doing JP and I still love doing it.”

I have always tried to support Pakistani films through my game show, irrespective of the channel association and the same trend should be followed elsewhere. Why was there no tweet from our stars when Humayun Saeed released his film or when my film became successful? Instead of criticising each other, we should unite and fight for better films, rather than fight for the sake of not supporting each other.”

Fahad has also been enjoying the success of NMA2 that is still playing in cinemas. The sequel came out last month and was pitted against Nadeem Baig’s Punjab Nahi Jaungi. Both films managed to do well and set box office records even in the presence of Bollywood flicks from the third week onwards. However, the producer in him feels that since there are 52 weeks in a year, there should be random weekend releases as well, instead of just during the Eid season.

“If no one releases films during the non-Eid period, maybe I will,” a confident Fahad makes the startling announcement. He puts the entire blame for the decline of standards in filmmaking in Pakistan on mediocre films. “It is about time that TV channels and media houses join hands and come out of their bubble to save our industry. I have always tried to support Pakistani films through my game show, irrespective of the channel association and the same trend should be followed elsewhere. Why was there no tweet from our stars when Humayun Saeed released his film or when my film became successful? Instead of criticising each other, we should unite and fight for better films, rather than fight for the sake of not supporting each other.

“There are only two directors in Pakistan who know how to make commercial films — Nabeel [Qureshi] and Nadeem [Baig],” Fahad claims while sipping his black coffee that helped him lose weight for NMA2. “I have done three films with Nabeel while Nadeem’s JPNA2 is all set to go on the floors. Nadeem is a master storyteller whose JPNA2 is going to be better than the first one, while with Nabeel I share a different kind of chemistry. On the set we are best buddies but off it we hardly get to meet each other. It’s our work energy that has synced us together. He knows what I’m thinking and I know what’s going on in his mind.”

Fahad says living up to the expectations of NMA was difficult considering it changed the dynamics of the film industry in Pakistan. “I was a different person in the sequel because this time I had a few hits to my name. The shoot was tougher than even in AIL as we followed a tight schedule and with the help of ‘four seasons’ we were able to achieve the impossible. ‘Four seasons’ here means the four beds we carried with us and which we placed on roads, jungles, on mountaintops … everywhere the camera went.”

Published in Dawn, ICON, October 1st, 2017

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