Noman Ijaz who is, at present, playing Mian Ghulam Farid in Aaj Rang Hai on Zindagi loves to play roles that has many layers to it and tells SHAlINI SAKSENA that his 25-year stint in Pakistan film and TV industry has been very satisfying and that he would love to be in a movie with Amitabh Bachchan
You have been acting for over 25 years. How does that feelIJ
It feels great to have been associated with TV and films for such a long time. The journey has been extremely satisfying in terms of the kind of progress that I have made and the fact that I am one of the very few actors who are at the top of their profession and are still so much in demand. But, the sad part is that as an actor I have not been able to grow but this is because the industry in Pakistan is still very small as it leaves very little scope for an actor to explore.
We, in India have only seen you doing sombre or serious roles. Is that a conscious decision to do only these kind of rolesIJ
For me what is important is the kind of dimensions that I will get to do when a character is offered to me. So it can a character that has shades of grey, or is totally negative. When I am offered a role, I try to put in a lot of my version of how the character should develop. For example in Aaj Rang Hai, my character has many layers to it. There are several shades to him and carries plenty of baggage of his own that makes him the man he is.
One is told that you want to charge money for giving an interview. Do you have something against journalistsIJ
No, not at all. It was just that I had a problem with one particular mediaperson and said that I will charge you money for an interview.In Pakistan the journalists are very different. They will criticise you without giving you the opportunity to defend yourself. If one has played the role of a zamindar brilliantly, they want you to do only those kind of roles. Any other character is rejected however good it may be.
So how are journalists in India differentIJ
They are far more open to the kind of roles you do. They will not label you or type-cast you. They want to know what makes an actor the way he is — the man behind the actor.
How did acting come to youIJ
For all my viewers in India, I would like to tell them that I am a lawyer by profession. But acting is my hobby, my passion and I kind of stumbled upon it. I have done many plays and even films. But then gave up on doing movies because they are way too loud and they label an actor which I didn’t want. So I decided to stick to serials. At least here I get to do roles that inspire me.
What makes you take up a projectIJ
Any story that comes my way is judged on a few things. I see what new I can add to this character. Whether there is scope that a character can have many shades to him. I also see who has written the story and who the director is.
You have also said in an interview that you have wasted your time as an actor in Pakistan. WhyIJ
This is because I am still where I was when I started my career as an actor. In that sense I have wasted my time in this industry. But it has also given me fame and recognition which is good. But an actor wants more than money, and fame.
How would you describe yourself as a person and an actorIJ
This is one question that is best answered by my wife, Rabia. As a husband, my wife tells me that I am a complete man who loves and cares for his family. I think that for an actor to reach the very top of his career, he first needs to be a good human being. One can’t be a good actor and be bad in personal life. I am told that I am a good person.
You have said you would like to work in India movies. Any particular role that you are looking atIJ
I would love to work in a Bollywood movies. The industry makes such beautiful films. There is so much scope for an actor to experiment with. But I would not take up any project just because I want to work in a Hindi movie.
Any particular Indian director or actor you would like to work withIJ
There are some great legends in Bollywood. Amitji is one of them. People in Pakistan say that Dilip Kumar sahab is better but I think there is no one better than Amitji. He is a walking acting academy. There is so much that one can learn from him — he is a complete package. I recently saw Shamitabh and he is brilliant in it. Another actor who is good is Nawazuddin Siddiqui. He is a very strong actor. Ranbir Kapoor too is very good; his work in Rockstar is great. That is the good thing about your industry. One can do a movie likeBarfi and then go on to doing a commercial movie — there is no typecasting. Mani Ratnam is a great director and would love to work with him. One can learn so much from him.