|
|
|
A man with a vision
I would like people to put up pictures and portraits of Quaid-e-Azam Mohammed Ali Jinnah in their houses, offices and workplaces, in admiration of the great man’s services for our country. That is how people treat their leaders, worldwide,” explains Rauf Khalid. A versatile actor, he is also known for his directing, writing, filmmaking and even painting. And as boring as it may sound, Rauf is in fact a true patriot which is obvious from the reverence that he holds for Quaid-e-Azam. He recently organized an exhibition comprising of Mohammad Ali Jinnah’s rare snaps. “I believe that it is very necessary to portray the more “humane side of The Quaid to the people.”
Rauf Khalid was actively involved in television in the past, then there came a lull for a while, but now he’s back in films and TV awards. His face lights up when asked to comment on this genre.
“We plan to have a National TV Awards, the same way they have the National Film Awards in Lahore. Karachi will be the venue. As the awards by PTV are held in fits and starts and the ones held recently have totally ignored the private productions, we believe that we should also recognize the talent of people doing private productions.”
Presently, Khalid is busy finalizing a number of projects, including two movies.
“I have two stories in mind. The first is about Fakir Ipi’s life while the other project is still in its primary stages. Fakir Ipi’s story is based on the struggle of a freedom fighter who gave the English a tough time, while the latter is about a Hindu girl marrying a Muslim boy of Pathan origin. Their marriage obviously leads to war.”
Sadly, Rauf points out that period films have no market value in Pakistan and that he is looking forward to the day when people here begin making serious, issue-oriented movies: “People here can watch films like Terminator but none with depth in them. I have started an international venture, combining artists from Bollywood as well as Hollywood,” he explains.
When asked about how far this venture has progressed, he reminds me of the 9/11 incident, that has put a stop to the project. He is back on track resuming from where he had left off with the film called Laaj. The cast of the film includes foreign names James Kavaz, Pat Kelman and Fleur Kalinjsma while local ones include Talat Hussain, Zara Sheikh, Resham, Nirma, Asif Khan and Urooj. Currently the unit is in Nathia Gali for their outdoor shooting. But why not make simple films like other film makers? He shakes his head in utter disgust.
“I simply can’t stand the stuff which is being churned out today, though Syed Noor and a few others are good film makers. They have the talent and the guts to handle serious subjects, but the number of films they do simultaneously hampers the quality of their work.”
We come back to television. Who can forget Angaar Wadi and Laaj?
“Actually the motivation of producing such plays comes from two sources. Being a Pakistani, and to be able to identify myself as one. In doing so I naturally feel an affiliation and love for the people of Kashmir and am saddened by their plight. I am more determined when people of such areas come to my office and sometimes even to my home, give respect to me and bring gifts to me and even consider me a resident of Supore (a character in Angaar Wadi, Captain Hamza was shown to be from Supore). It just gives the required shots of adrenalin to do something possible within my means.”
Rauf believes that these projects were definitely issue-oriented because Angaar Wadi focused on the policies of the government and how the people chose not to do anything about the real problem. On the other hand Laaj dealt with the story of a person in search of his identity, a common problem in the urban centres of Pakistan.
Rauf Khalid is very passionate about identity as he feels that it gives meaning to one’s existence.
“One can identify oneself as a Muslim, or a Pakistani, as a human being or simply as a living being — all your goals and aims depend upon the fact of your personal identity.”
Another important aspect of Laaj was that it showed tolerance. Khalid feels that one should respect all religions, as Islam teaches us to do and says that if one concentrates on the details of Laaj, one will find that the characters are explored on the basis of their life and existence and not their religion.
One wonders why Khalid has not clicked on television as an actor. Says he: “I would love to act more but I need a good director for that. An actor’s work can be enhanced manifold or it can simply be marred by the director. Only he can conceive the right frame and the right sequence...” He feels this is the exact reason why his recent comedy serial failed to attract audiences and bombed miserably. For one thing it did not have a permanent director and was also transmitted at eleven in the night, a considerably odd time for any audience.
These days Rauf Khalid is busy shooting his debut film in Nathia Gali and the cast includes Zara Sheikh, Resham and Imran in the main lead.
|
|
|
|
