Zulfikar Sheikh has been an era in himself in the history of Pakistani television, who along with his wife, Tasmina Sheikh, gave a whole new dimension to dramatic works.
‘Ansoo’, ‘Des Pardes’, ‘Maa’, ‘The Castle – Ek Umeed’ and ‘Thori Khushi Thora Gham’ are memorable productions of the couple, the stories, actors, locations and songs of which still have a place in Pakistani viewers’ minds and hearts. Daily Times caught up with the director from the duo, Zulfikar Sheikh and asked him some questions, which are as follows.
From acting along with Moin Akhtar and Yasmin Ismail to directing and producing dramas shot abroad, how has your journey been? When and how did you decide to open up your own production house?
Working with legends like Moin Akhtar and Yasmin Ismail inspired me to do something very different. I therefore thought of taking veteran actors such as these to Scotland and add something different to the creative work being done. Then I decided to open up a studio to continue doing the work and with God’s will, things took a good turn.
Your dramas always used to address the problems of Pakistani expatriates. What was the inclination behind addressing all the aspects of this one issue?
I am a Pakistani brought up in UK. I love my country and always wanted to do something for its people. Therefore, I decided to address the problems of several Pakistanis residing outside their country. I wanted to create an awareness of how lifestyles of Pakistanis living in Pakistan and Pakistanis living in the UK differ from each other.
We also used to find aesthetic beauty in your dramatic works. Is that something inherent in you; the ability to appreciate beauty and the desire to capture it?
There are countless blessings of God, and we should keep thanking Him for having made such beautiful things for us. Scotland is one of His creations, having abundant natural beauty. Choosing that country as the location automatically gives a different feel and look to visual projects. Admiring beauty and then trying to present it to people from my own perspective is yes, something inherent in me.
‘I am a Pakistani brought up in UK. I love my country and always wanted to do something for its people. Therefore, I decided to address the problems of several Pakistanis residing outside their country. I wanted to create an awareness of how lifestyles of Pakistanis living in Pakistan and Pakistanis living in the UK differ from each other’
Talat Hussain has consistently appeared in your projects. What inspires you the most in his acting?
An actor only acts, but an artist presents himself or himself as a good person as well along with giving good performances. Talat Hussain falls in this category, having calculated acting skills and amazing qualities as a human being. I like to work with people who are more focused on their work and less on creating tantrums.
You have worked a lot with Haseena Moin. What is the most attractive thing about her writing?
I have no words to describe Haseena Moin’s greatness, for she is an angel incarnated. She is like a mother and a sister whose personality is brimmed with positive attributes only. Her words are like poetry that pleases your soul. Therefore, I have chosen her most of the times for my stories and she has also written the dialogues for my upcoming film. Once again, Haseena Moin has infused magic into my script.
A few years ago, we heard of Ansoo’s sequel being made. Is that true?
I can’t say anything for sure. I do wish to make a sequel to it but I am not inclined towards making drama serials these days. Drama makers are now asked to make a lot of changes in the content while I have always conceived my projects’ stories myself. The content does not remain the writer’s or director’s own now and that does not give me satisfaction. This is also the reason why I stopped making drama serials. I think I will have to wait for some channel to give me the margin to treat my script the way I want. Only then will I go for Ansoo’s sequel.
When are we expecting your film?
We will launch the first teaser on Eid through both social media and television and the releasing month is probably going to be the December of this year.
When and how did you decide to make the film ‘Sach’? What, according to you, is going to be the most enticing aspect of the film?
The decision was made four to five years ago, but since I work a lot on my scripts and music, it took time to be executed. My health issues also intervened and created hurdles. Now that I am healthy, I have worked on its shooting and it is now in its post-production phase. As far as its most enticing aspect is concerned, it is going to be both the music and the visuals. Both of these things are going to be outstanding if God wills, for I have chosen Kabir Lal as the cinematographer who has made films such as ‘Taal’ and ‘Pardes’ in Bollywood. He is an excellent cinematographer, who would multiply the ideas given to him using his own vision. Simaab Sen is doing the music and I have been working on it with him for almost three years because I myself have an understanding of music. The film has total six songs, all of which are beautiful. Arman Malik, Rahat Fateh Ali and Ali Kazi are among the singers. So, visually and musically, the film is going to be an extravaganza.
How much excited or nervous are you regarding the success of the film?
I am definitely excited since it is my first film project after many serials. It is a completely different genre, demanding different techniques and ways of handling. Nervousness also keeps popping up at times but I leave everything to God. I have put my maximum effort and energy along with my family into the making of this film. If you put your heart and soul into something, you gain God’s support as well. I hope for the best and wish that that the film gains success. The only thing I can do after having made it is that I can ask people to go and watch the film, for it carries a unique vision, the kind of which I also presented in my serials such as ‘Ansoo’, ‘Des Pardes’, ‘Maa’, ‘Thori Khushi Thora Gham’ and ‘Khaali Ankhein’. I have complete faith in the strong subject and content of my film.
The writer is a freelance journalist and can be reached at [email protected]