I knew that it was going to be difficult tracking down Fahad Mustafa for an interview. This is a busy, busy time for him. He is acting in two major movies slotted for release on Eidul Azha — Jawani Phir Nahi Ani 2 (JPNA2) and Load Wedding — and he has his hands full with making back-to-back promotional appearances, spiraling from trailer launches to song shootings to media meet-ups. He is also simultaneously filming episodes of his game show Jeeto Pakistan, pre-recording some of them so that they can be aired when he will be touring the country for pre-release promotions. Making things more difficult is the fact that he is unwell.
There is, however, so much that I need to ask Fahad, so many questions that he has never been asked and I coordinate endlessly with him. Timings and venues are scheduled and rescheduled until, finally, we meet in a nondescript studio in Korangi, Karachi. He is still unwell but he is nevertheless there, along with the starry ensemble cast of JPNA2, shooting a promotional song for the movie. As the set gets prepared, Fahad plunges straight into the interview, gathering strength with some black coffee.
Talking cinema
“It’s the stress of having two movies releasing simultaneously that’s making me ill,” he says only half-joking. “I stay awake at nights wondering how to coordinate things. Even if I try my hardest, I won’t be able to be a part of both movies’ pre-release schedules completely. The next few days are probably going to be the toughest in my life.
“I wish that one day our filmmakers’ obsession with releasing movies particularly on Eid comes to an end. I hope that both movies do well but I know that on its own, each has the potential to be a major blockbuster if released separately. Moreover, Hum Films’ Parwaaz Hai Junoon is also hitting cinemas on Eidul Azha. This means that three major filmmakers will not be coming up with any other movies over the course of next year. Local cinema will once again have to make do with a slew of hit-and-miss efforts. If only our directors and producers could agree to avoid clashes and space out release dates!”
Fahad Mustafa has two potential hit movies coming out simultaneously next Eid. As a fallback option he’s got a successful and long-running game show on TV. What’s the secret to his success?
Had he asked the producers of JPNA2 and Load Wedding to switch dates? “Of course, I asked both of them but it didn’t work. I’m taking consolation in the fact that whoever is seeing both movies’ trailers is saying that I look completely different in them. At least there won’t be any repetition in the characters that I’m playing.”
In Load Wedding, Fahad plays a small-town village bumpkin, pairing once again with Nabeel Qureshi, the director who has so far signed him on to every film that he has made. “Nabeel and I just get along. I’m very hard-working. I will listen to his rants, turn up on set on time and understand what he’s trying to depict in a scene. I know people complain that he doesn’t sign on any new hero but I think he just does that because he and I connect very easily.”
Meanwhile, the JPNA2 trailer hints that he’s a raving Lothario with an evil streak. Acting along with him in the movie is a star-studded cast that includes Humayun Saeed, Ahmed Ali Butt, Vasay Chaudhry, Kubra Khan and Mawra Hocane. Was Fahad pleasantly surprised by the trailer where he has gotten plenty of screen time despite the fact that Humayun is producing the movie as well as playing the other male lead in it? “I signed on to JPNA2 in good faith and never once asked Humayun or director Nadeem Baig about how many scenes I’ll have. What I did know is that Humayun is very intelligent and that he would never allow his movie to suffer due to a narcissistic need to overshadow another actor. There was a time when I played the side role of his younger brother in a drama. Today, I am acting alongside him in a movie. That means a lot to me. I am also a producer now and my company Big Bang Entertainment produces a large range of dramas for TV. There’s a lot that I have learnt and applied to my career simply by observing Humayun Saeed’s career graph.”