Faizan Khawaja, who plays Sarmad in Ru Baru on Zindagi channel, talks to SHAlINI SAKSENA about his graduation days in Mumbai, how he always wanted to be an actor and being mentored by the likes of Naseeruddin Shah
Tell us about your role in Ru Baru.
It’s about a boy who has grown up with a lot of unresolved issues and negativity. He loses his mother at a young age. His father remarries. His stepmom has a daughter whom he resents. He feels that the mother-daughter have come between him and his father and that his father’s love is divided. He does things to hurt the stepmom and stepsister. He is instrumental in breaking the marriage of his stepsister with another man, only to marry her himself to seek revenge.
Was it very difficult/challenging to do such a negative roleIJ
I am a trained actor. So the challenge was not in how to emote the negativity or play a shade of grey. I watched The Dark Knight, studied the role played by Heath ledger. I didn’t copy him but learnt to play a dark role. The challenge is to separate reel from real life. After 10 days of shoot, I found I would return home and yell at everyone. I had become Sarmad at home too. To disconnect from the character proved to be difficult in the beginning.
How did acting come to youIJ
My father is a director. So films and acting always fascinated me. My family knew I would be an actor. It is the profession for me. I wanted to learn the technical aspect of not just acting but also editing. As an actor it helps if you know the importance of lighting, how to stand in front of it and what goes into taking a single shot. You tend to appreciate each and every aspect related to filmmaking. Your are not just a pretty face in front of the camera.
So you came to Mumbai…
Yes, I joined Whistling Woods International to learn acting from the best in Bollywood — like Naseeruddin Shah. He is a great actor. As a mentor, he is brilliant. Whatever I know about acting today is because of him.
You are acting in a movie by Zeenat Amaan’s son titled Bankster. How did that happenIJ
After my course got over, I went back to Pakistan and started working there. I have a lot of good friends in Mumbai and would regularly send them my work. One of them showed by work to Azaan Khan. He liked my work and cast me in his directorial debut.
You are from Houston, then moved to Pakistan to work. WhyIJ
That is correct. My father is a well-known filmmaker and producer Rashid Khawaja. So it is not as if I had plans to settle in the US. To come back and work in the film and TV industry was my aim.
Why is it that Pakistan makes great drama but the films are below averageIJ
There was a time when we had a great film industry which was making films at par with Bollywood. But after the 80s, our industry failed to evolve and the movies went from bad to worse. TV, on the other hand, underwent a dramatic change. Filmmakers shifted from movies to TV drama. The Indian film industry, on the other hand, continued to grow. But now, the Pakistani film industry has some young directors who are doing good work. So things are looking up.
Do you have a favourite Bollywood actor with whom you would love to workIJ
There are so many actors who are brilliant, like the Khans. But to choose would not be doing justice to actors who are doing great work. Having said this, I dream of working with my mentor Naseeruddin Shah.