Pakistani actor Fawad Khan is quoting playwright David Mamet and citing Brando’s brilliance in the 1951 classic A Streetcar Named Desire, minutes after he has been made to dance to a hit from his debut Hindi film Khoobsurat with Sonam Kapoor. He had danced to the rather inane Ma ka phone aaya, with a downward gaze and a reticent smile that reveals that even the unsparing Bollywood publicity machinery has not been able to make him forget just who he is. An actor who would rather act on-screen than off it. He is a superstar back home and India discovered him first via Zindagi Gulzar Hai, a top rated show directed by the legendary Sultana Siddiqui. Indian fans have since then been scanning YouTube for gems like Behadd and Dastan and even his unsung work in the 2007 cross-border collaboration Khuda Kay Liye, where he worked with Naseeruddin Shah.
Beyond all the love and hysteria in India, he is acutely aware of the enormity of his real role. That of a cultural ambassador and speaks to us about this and more.
A global village beyond politics
Remind him of the 80s when cult Pakistani soaps like Ankahi and Dhoop Kinare were avidly followed in India and how his own work today emphasises that there is no ‘them’ and only ‘us’ inhabiting the shared stories and concerns and he smiles, “I get that a lot in India when people say that stories from Pakistan are a reminder of their personal connect, their ancestry and just how similar we are. My father was born in Patiala and my mother is from Lahore. If I close my eyes in Karachi, I can imagine myself in Mumbai and vice-versa. I have actually had flashes of deja vu because I see the same faces and the same spaces there and here. Nationality and faith are labels that cannot diminish or exalt human beings. I am, however, very conscious of what I say here because I am representing my people and I do not want to say anything that will offend your sensibilities. I am here to mend broken ties and a lot of effort has been made by assorted forces to bring stories from Pakistan to India. I feel honoured to bring to you glimpses of a side of Pakistan that is beautiful and not represented in newspapers which are a different space altogether. I think of myself as an ambassador of stories. We call the world a global village and it is time to believe that for real.”
Fame and the craft of acting
Tell him just how obvious his discomfort is with excessive limelight on Indian reality shows and promotional events and he shakes his head, saying, “You can see, I am not doing a great job negotiating the shift. This tour has been about great warmth everywhere but yes, this level of promotion surrounding a film is not something I am used to. It is a whole new world. I don’t talk much and that can be construed as arrogance but I don’t like talking about myself. I am not quick on my feet but I respect the uniqueness of what I see here. I am not judgemental.”
A certain level of refinement shines through his conduct and even his performances and he says, “That is a bigger compliment than being praised for my ‘good looks’ which I don’t think much of to start with. I am more concerned with the craft of acting than flashing a 100 watt smile and popping pecs. If I am sitting idle in a frame and using just my face to convey a moment, it will be boring so I try to give a character certain habits, imperfections, a manner that sets him apart. It is not just about taking the method route but living a character.”
He continues, “I have learnt a lot observing Olivier and Brando. Brando, for instance, always did something even with silence. There is a scene in A Streetcar Named Desire where he is speaking to Blanche (Vivien Leigh) about the Napoleonic code and she is not listening to him and he wants her attention. He snaps at her and the way he does it made me fall in love with acting. Playwright David Mamet once said, ‘If you can’t cry..don’t. Do something else’. In a funeral for instance, there are many kinds of mourners. Not everyone cries. Devastation hits people differently and I try to remember that.”
Purity of language
Does he feel Pakistan has done a better job respecting the purity of the spoken language than India? He says, “When I was doing Dastan, a period drama, it was tough because the syntax and semantics of that era were unfamiliar to me. If I am working in a modern story or playing a glue sniffer or a street urchin, I will obviously not speak in chaste Urdu. There will be colloquialism and contemporary idioms to connect with the audience watching me. I often improvise dialogue to make it more relatable and real. In the end, it is not so much about language, though it must be valued, as about content and good writing. If the writing is good, even a terrible film can become a masterpiece.”
In life as in his work, says Fawad, he looks for coherence but with flashbulbs popping around him all the time, it has become a luxury to find it.
The signature song from Khoobsurat, Abhi to party shuru hui hai is playing in the background and it is time to go to another city and perhaps dance again.
with Reema Moudgil works for The New Indian Express, Bangalore, is the author of Perfect Eight, the editor of Chicken Soup for the Soul-Indian Women, an artist, a former RJ and a mother. She dreams of a cottage of her own that opens to a garden and where she can write more books, paint, listen to music and just be.
I first saw Fawad Khan in Humsafar and found him a very good actor with good looks. I saw his gentleness, his manners and how he praised beauty when he sees khirad looking so beautiful as she dresses up for a birthday party to which he as Asher is taking her to . And the way he reacted I thought it was such a natural reaction and I liked him very much for it. And then how he showed
the steel in his character when his mother wrongly makes him believe that his wife is having an affair. I could feel how he felt and how unforgiving he was with such an act when she had made him feel otherwise. And then after the 4years of separation khirad suddenly appears before her and the way he looks up at her and tells her to get out of the office. But when he sees his own child almost dying and how he starts to out pour the love in his heart and in no time makes friends with the girl and takes over the responsibilty and then how in such a crucial time he finds Khirad falling to pieces and how she needs his help to face the crisis brings him closer to her and he finds he has never stopped loving her. But Khirad keeps her distance and maintains her dignity and is not ready to give in to him which is hard for him to believe. But in the end when he finds out the truth and he faces his mother for all the wrongs she has done to his life and wins over Khirad’s heart and respect. Seeing this being played by this actor made me love him and like him for all ways. Then I saw him in Dastaan even though it was an earlier drama but I simply loved him from the outset. His role of a college boy and falling in love with the neighbours girl who also has feelings for him. And I say that Dastaan is my favourite so far. Seeing him in Zindagi Gulzar hai showed him in a different light and he did it so well. And actually made the world crazy about his character. The rivalry with his fellow student and so on was a different world and she impresses him although she is a plain looking girl she prefers him to another one who is prettier and vain . It is more of a husband and wife relationship the portrayal of which has charmed so many and has become famous. So Fawad is an actor who can be challenged by any situation and I am not surprised that he is in India and acting against the charming Sonam Kapoor whom I like very much. And I soon hope to see the film. Reema, I enjoyed your article about Fawad Khan and through it I have learnt so much more about the actor and his method of acting and did not know that he is aware of certain mannerisms which he adopts to express himself. Yes, Pakistan should be proud of such an actor who can find recognition outside Pakistan. Ali Zafar, another charming man who is a singer of course but make quite a few films in India. The whole idea of people showing their talents in different countries is a very good idea. Thanks