Daily Times

A few days before the release of his feature film, Parchi, Ali Rehman Khan sits with Ally Adnan to talk about his acting, fame, plans for 2018 and the upcoming movie.

Your feature film, Parchi, is all set for release on the fifth of January. How does it feel?

I feel incredibly grateful that my project has come to fruition and will soon see the light of the day. It is gratifying to know that the product of hard work of a lot of people is complete and ready. I am happy that people will get to see the film soon, and that for me, is enough.

I occasionally get nervous jitters now that the film is nearing release, but I really enjoy that feeling. I just try to have a good time with my co-actors who have come to be like family in the last six months. I cannot wait for people to watch Parchi on and after its release on January 05, 2018.

Parchi has been made by the same team as the one behind the 2016 Janaan. You must have had a lot of offers to do films after the success of Janaan. Why did you choose to work with the team of Janaan a second time?

I chose to work in Parchi for two reasons.

One, the team is fantastic and I have complete faith in their talent, vision and ability. All members of the team understand me and my work ethic very well. This in turn puts me in a very comfortable position on set and creates an easy atmosphere. The team and I feed off of each other and do well together while sharing a weirdly symbiotic relationship which is always good to let the creative juices flowing.

Two, Parchi has a great script and my character in the film is funny, yet has a lot of depth. I could never have passed up the opportunity of working in a film like this.

Parchi has been marketed with great vigour and zeal. The month of December has been full of a very large number of enthusiastic, occasionally cacophonous, promotional activities. Do you think that the promotion will help Parchi at the box office?

I surely hope and pray it does!

Our promotions were designed to engage the maximum possible number of people and encourage them to come to the cinemas to watch Parchi. However, I doubt that successful promotions are the only reason films become successful. Many other factors influence the box office success of films. I like to believe that in the ultimate analyses, films stand or fall on their own merit. In the end, content is always king and is the eventual crowd puller or pusher.

Two Pakistani feature films – Rangreza, Arth – opened to poor box office numbers in December. Do you feel that Parchi will do better than the films?

I really hope that they both do well. The success of each film is a success for Pakistani cinema, which is bigger than you, me and the rest of us. In the ultimate scheme of things, it is Pakistani cinema that needs to rise and draw an audience. So the more people that go and watch our films and come out with a positive experience, the more it encourages them to do the same again and again.

What are the strengths of Parchi?

The story and screenplay of Parchi are what drew me to the film. The songs, the acting, the flow and the direction of the film is what will draw people to the cinema and keep them glued to their seats. It has been directed very well by my favourite Azfar Jafri, and I’m confident that people will not be disappointed.

Parchi has a strong female character in the lead and has been promoted as a film that supports the empowerment of women. Yet, it features what is ostensibly a gratuitous item number. Why the apparent discordance?

To the best of my recollection, there is not a single vulgar shot in the entire song. It is a fun dance number, similar to what we see at an average Pakistani wedding. I do not think it is an item number in any way nor did we market it that way.

The song (and video) has done very well after its release and is being played at weddings, far and wide. I don’t think it would have garnered over 3 million views had it been criticised as an item number. That alone is testament to the fact that people love the song and do not find anything wrong with it. When people get to watch the film, they will understand that the song is a product of a series of events and fits well in the narrative of the film.

How did you learn to act?

I do not think acting can ever be learnt. It is something that comes from within. It is all about how comfortable one is in letting go of him/herself in order to embody another persona. I’m a very emotional person and I believe that’s really helped me in polishing my craft.

I have never been to acting school, I’ve learnt everything on the job. One gets better with experience and theater has been my greatest teacher. I am always learning new things and believe that the process will never end because human emotion is limitless – it’s impossible to learn everything about everyone. That is the beauty of acting, you just keep picking things up on the way and hope you get to use them someday.

What is the most difficult thing about acting?

Nothing and everything. You have to become another person, and you have to make the audience believe you are that person for the two hours you’re on screen or on stage. The more work you put into it, the more you’ll succeed. It’s a lot of hard work and commitment, and at times an actor has to go to places, mentally and physically that he/she never thought of going to. That can be simultaneously scary, yet exciting. That’s why I love it so much!

You have worked on stage, in television and in films. How is acting different in these three media?

Out of the three, stage is the actors’ medium. I have loved every second of being on stage. It is completely different than acting on television and in film. There is no room for error on stage, and if one does mess up, they have to improvise, think quickly and react accordingly. It’s that quick thinking that teaches you a lot.

In film and television, one can always do a retake if a mistake is made. The magic of film is that it allows you to transcend boundaries and take people anywhere you want. It can create magic and entice emotion and can make you at one with a character. One has great reach with television and films. On stage, unfortunately, an actor can only reach a limited number of people in the audience.

Which is your favourite medium – theater, cinema or television?

Theatre will always have my heart.

In Pakistan, is one able to make a good living in the performing arts?

Yes, I believe so.

One does need to be consistent, professional and driven to make it though.

You have worked in a total of four films, two of which are largely unknown and one is yet to be released. You work on television, albeit good, has been very limited. Yet, your profile as a star is big. Is your immense celebrity profile happenstance, good fortune or something that you have managed carefully?

It is difficult to answer the question. I will just be honest and say how I have achieved the success that has come my way.

I have always tried to do as much good work as possible and work with the best people in the business. I have always wanted to be recognised due to my work and for no other reason. If that has earned me a big profile, then I have been fortunate and thank God for getting rewarded for what I love to do.

What benefits has stardom afforded you?

I am still trying to figure that out.

Has being a celebrity made life difficult for you in any way?

I do not consider myself to be a celebrity. I certainly do not conduct myself like one. I really cannot say if life has become difficult as I have become better known.

What are your plans for 2018?

There is a social cause that is very near and dear to my heart. I plan to do some good, sustainable work for the cause in 2018.

The writer lives in Dallas where he works in the field of telecommunications. He writes about culture, history and the arts. He tweets @allyadnan and can be reached at allyadnan@outlook.com. Photographs were taken by Kashif Rashid

Published in Daily Times, January 2^nd 2018.