“I am not part of the media circus — and I don’t need to be,” he quipped to me. I had just met the veteran actor Naumaan Ijaz for the first time on a flight to Lahore where we were both scheduled to attend a cultural event.

The truth in his words rang out over the course of our one-and-a-half-hour-long journey. Passengers passing down the aisle stopped to shake his hand. One asked for an autograph, addressing him with the name of a character that he had played many years ago — the true measure of a successful performance, I felt. The flight staff made sure that he got a ‘special’ meal.

Unlike many of his peers, Naumaan Ijaz truly doesn’t need to be part of any media games. The success, the fame and the adulation just follow him naturally. He doesn’t obsess over getting photographed at social events and, yet, fans invariably rush towards him to click selfies. He doesn’t gloat over his extensive repertoire of work nor does he have agents hired to generate publicity for him. Nevertheless, aficionados seek out dramas starring the dynamic actor. They rave about them and the ratings tend to rise high.

Naumaan Ijaz is controversial to the core. The actor and producer openly snubs awards ceremonies, bashes TV channels and, sometimes, gets banned from them as a result. He is not bothered in the least

He is controversial to the core, attending awards ceremonies and openly lambasting them the following day, bashing TV channels and subsequently getting banned from them, hated by many and loved by many more. Bans and controversies notwithstanding, TV producers and directors constantly approach him for choice roles that are often written with him in mind: the lascivious older man entering into marriage with a child, the devious uncle secretly embroiled in torrid affairs and masterminding domestic turmoil, the aging father with a roving eye for younger women. It wouldn’t be wrong to say that perhaps no other Pakistani actor can, at present, enact such complex, multifaceted roles with such ease.

Naumaan knows this — but it doesn’t mean that he’ll post images of his drama roles on social media in order to boost his Twitter following. “Why should I race after these fake measures of popularity when I am blessed with the love of so many people?” he says. “I tweet about matters that I find relevant but I feel no obligation to make daily unnecessary posts. I would rather make an impact with my work. This is what I have always believed in.”

As we sit down for an exclusive conversation, a few months following that fateful flight to Lahore, I get a closer insight into Naumaan Ijaz, the man of many beliefs, some of them quite controversial …

You are often pinpointed as a controversial personality who isn’t afraid to criticise what he doesn’t like, either in interviews or via Twitter. Don’t you believe that you would make more friends if you were more politically correct?

I have many friends and they know that I am not a deliberately controversial person. I can’t be politically correct because it just isn’t who I am. I speak my mind and I speak the truth and after having given so many years to this industry, I feel that it is my duty to criticise what I find unfair.

And is this the reason why you criticise Pakistan’s various entertainment-based awards ceremonies so frequently?

Yes, and I have now made up my mind that I will not be attending any awards ceremony. I end up going when a friend is organising it and come back completely disappointed. They simply aren’t worth it. It is just so obvious that the results are completely rigged. A trophy will always be given to the ‘it’ hero who may be about to star in a project helmed by the sponsors. At the same time, new categories will be created to appease the other guests. I am not fooled by a trophy that declares me to be the ‘Best Impactful Character’ when I know that I have delivered one of the best performances in my acting career that year. I don’t need that statuette or those fake accolades. I also don’t want to be disrespected by being given an award by a talentless starlet who is yet to make a mark in the industry. What saddens me is that while seniors like myself can simply decide to opt out from the race, the young talented actors who are working very hard are likely to lose hope.

Also, our events have lost their entertainment value. There was a time when the PTV Awards were highly anticipated. We looked forward to seeing Moin Akhtar take the stage and make jokes that were genuinely witty. He made funny jokes rather than make fun of people. Now, the entertainment content at awards is restricted to a few bare-all dances and personal attacks and rude jokes that are supposed to be funny.

I am not fooled by a trophy that declares me to be the ‘Best Impactful Character’ when I know that I have delivered one of the best performances in my acting career that year. I don’t need that statuette or those fake accolades. I also don’t want to be disrespected by being given an award by a talentless starlet who is yet to make a mark in the industry.”

But don’t you think that these personal jokes are indicative of the camaraderie within the industry? Usually, stars who are good friends are often made to quip with each other at awards ceremonies …

They may be good friends but I find it very unprofessional when below-the-belt jokes on wardrobe or [people’s] personal life are made on a major platform. We need to respect each other on camera so that audiences respect us also. There are so many actors who call me ‘Bhai’ in social gatherings but I tell them to address me in a more formal way when we are on screen. Even in Mazaaq Raat, a talk show that I hosted for two years, I made sure that I always spoke to my guests in a respectful, formal way. There are certain lines that shouldn’t be crossed in front of the camera.

Mazaaq Raat is testament to your affinity for hosting. Will we be seeing you hosting a Ramazan transmission in the upcoming weeks?

No and I don’t want to be part of the sort of Ramazan transmissions that are currently popular. I did host a Ramazan show in the past but it had a more serious, refined format, following the spirit of the holy month. Now, viewership ratings apparently break records when hosts run across a large studio, giving out gifts to audiences that are willing to do anything for them: beg, dance, enter humiliating contests etc. Through these shows, we basically tell the world that we are a nation that loses all self respect when it comes to winning freebies. Even if prizes need to be distributed, the shows could at least make an effort to give them away on the basis of Islamic knowledge. I feel that all the channels that air such shows and all the hosts that take part in them should be ashamed of themselves.

You can’t deny that there is a demand for such shows which is why they continue to be aired ... If audiences enjoy certain formats, why shouldn’t channels cater to their entertainment requirements?

The media needs to do more than merely entertain. It needs to take responsibility and bring forward well-thought-out content. Instead of educating people and inspiring them, such shows simply cash in on thoughtless, uncreative programming.

On a similar note, do you feel that current TV dramas are moving towards more cerebral content rather than simply cashing in on ratings?

I don’t think so. Unfortunately, we don’t like to experiment with our dramas, preferring to stick to staid, mindless formats. Creativity is dying.

But you do continue to act in dramas yourself …

I am one of the fortunate few who is offered interesting roles. I also diversify into other fields. Last month, I delved into theatre after 12 years. I acted in a theatrical play in Dallas called Sorry Bhai, which made a social commentary by telling a story of true brothers. It was an exceptional experience. We performed to a packed house and we are now planning out more performances for later this summer in the US.

You have recently acted in quite a few dramas that tackle social issues such as child abuse and underage marriage. Do you approve of how local dramas are perpetually being dominated by socially relevant issues, especially following the multiple awards and accolades won by dramas such as Udaari?

Social issues need to be handled intelligently. There have been two dramas that have dealt with the topic of child abuse in recent times: Rehaai and Udaari. The former conveyed a story keeping in mind that the drama was going to be aired on TV and couldn’t indulge in vulgarity. The latter couldn’t even be watched with family. Similarly, my recent drama Dar Si Jaati Hai Sila tackled an uncomfortable subject very intelligently. There is nothing wrong with storylines dedicated to social issues but they can’t depend on sensationalism. They need to be written, directed and performed intelligently. While acting in Rehaai, I remember eliminating scenes that I thought were too bold. I really respect my director Mehreen Jabbar for trusting my judgment.

You’re yet to dabble into cinema’s road to revival. Haven’t you been offered any roles that have interested you?

I have been offered roles, yes, but none of them have intrigued me so far. Perhaps filmmakers have yet to understand the kind of work that can be extracted from me. I think that it will take some time for cinema to evolve to the point that it truly can be considered to have ‘revived’.

Isn’t there any local movie that you have recently liked?

I think that Cake was very well-directed and, barring a few glitches, it was an interesting film.

You’re very vocal about most topics but you haven’t addressed the current #MeToo movement that has taken over show business globally. Why is this so?

I haven’t commented on it because I want to be sure of whether the movement in Pakistan is being guided by the right intentions. Is it truly being instrumental in ensuring a secure work environment for women or is it being misused? I am an actor and a producer and, although I am married, I spend a lot of my time travelling and living alone. If a girl comes to me for an audition and I reject her because she doesn’t suit the role, it doesn’t mean that I have ulterior motives towards her. The #MeToo movement stands for something monumental but do we truly understand what it means? I am not sure and I hope that it isn’t just used as a weapon.

As an actor and a producer, do you agree that actors continue to be swindled by channels and production companies who refrain from paying them on time, and sometimes not paying them at all?

Yes, this is a sad truth that is eating away at our industry. There is a body called the United Producers’ Association and every renowned producer, including myself, is a part of it. However, aside from holding social parties, I have yet to see this body make an effort to get actors their rights. Channels are notorious for late payments to their own employees, let alone pay actors. They play twisted games. They’ll pay the big actors that are important to them but they’ll delay payments to the new ones. The technicians may not be paid altogether. It is pathetic.

As part of the upper crust of actors in Pakistan, do you have certain requirements from your producers? One often hears of actors making certain demands regarding the cars that pick and drop them, their wardrobes and other fringe benefits …

To this date, I have never made any unfair demands on my producers. I don’t need to travel first class or have special food served to me on the set. I will eat with everyone else and, although the producers will pay my hotel bill, I don’t require them to finance anything else. Once I am back from work, I will pay for whatever I eat and wherever I go. I see young actors making these undue demands and I feel that they are borne out of insecurities. I don’t need to stoop that low in order to prove my mettle to anybody. The respect, the love and the work comes to me on merit — without playing any games.

Published in Dawn, ICON, May 20th, 2018