An actor and a gentleman

You have worked in films, television serials and stage plays. How have you found the three media to be different?

In my opinion, the three media belong to different people. Film is a director’s territory. He can make or break a film and has the greatest control over the quality of the film. Television belongs to writers who have the time, over several episodes, to allow characters to develop fully, themes to evolve completely, and stories to progress effectively. Their contribution to the success, or failure, of a play is the greatest. Stage is an actor’s medium. During a performance, he is totally on his own and has the audience in the palm of his hands.

How are the three media different for actors?

Television and film are relatively similar for actors. Theatre, on the other hand, is vastly different.

One major difference is the location of the audience. In theatre, some members of the audience can be as far as a hundred feet, and at different levels. Actors, therefore, need to perform for those who are farthest from the stage and keep in mind the stall, dress and balcony levels. Performances are consequently exaggerated, larger than life and overstated. Distance does not really matter in film and television: an actor’s performance can be more realistic, understated and subtle. Since film captures and magnifies even the smallest of gestures, it requires a performance even more real than television. Film actors often show less emotion, movement and gesticulation than they would in real life. Subtlety is key in cinema.

The second major difference is rehearsal. Ever since cameras have become digital and hard disks have replaced film stock, the rehearsal time for films has gone down. It does not cost money to roll the camera anymore. Therefore, actors can record a scene over and over again until they get it right. Theatre, from an actor’s perspective, is still what it was a thousand years ago, except for the introduction of tiny hidden microphones that allow the voice to be heard clearly and with less effort required from actors.

"Subtlety is key in cinema"

The biggest difference - and the one that makes theatre the most challenging of all three media - is that theatre is live whereas film and television are not. Good editing, cinematography, background music, lighting, make-up, costume and post-production work can greatly improve a poor performance in film and television. In theatre, there is no one to help the actor who is on his own. There are no retakes on stage and audience feedback, positive and negative, is immediate. Theatre is not forgiving of poor actors.

There are, of course, other differences – camera, scale, popularity, earning potential, celebrity, glamour and others – but I believe that these are less important than the ones I spoke of earlier.

What is your favorite medium?

It is theatre, hands down. Nothing beats the energy, excitement and exhilaration of theatre. It is the most difficult - and the most enjoyable - medium for actors. I love theatre, but film follows closely.

Do you plan to be an actor in the long run?

Acting has become a very important part of my life. I intend to continue it for as long as I can. However, I have a huge interest in film direction. I believe that I will enjoy the artistic, technical and managerial aspects of being a director, immensely. As I am growing older, I am learning more and more about myself. I know that I will always have a career in show business but feel that I will eventually move to direction.

You were one of the actors in the Urdu production of the Taming of the Shrew that was mounted at London’s venerated Globe Theatre in 2012. How did you get the role?

I was not a member of the original cast of the play. Osman Khalid Butt and I were asked to audition for the play by Haissam Hussain after two of the originally cast actors had quit.

How was the experience of performing at the Globe?

It was a truly awesome experience, undoubtedly the very best one of my life. Performing at the Globe is the dream of every actor. It is one of most prestigious theatre spaces in the world. Theatre has the power to bring actors back to performing on stage.  A huge number of major actors from Hollywood, and elsewhere, have always found time in their busy careers to take a break and work in theatre. The wages are low but the prestige is high. It is an express way for actors to establish their acting credentials.

Did you enjoy performing at Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre?

It was a religious experience, for lack of a better word. Actors who are committed to their vocation consider it no less than a pilgrimage to visit the Globe. I was in tears when I first set foot in the theatre. We represented Pakistan in a festival where thirty-eight other countries performed Shakespearean plays that had been translated into their national language and set in their own cultures. I played the character of Tranio and performed together with Nadia Jamil (Katherina Minola), Omair Rana (Petruchio), Salman Shahid (Baptista), Osman Khalid Butt (Hortensio) and a few other wonderfully talented actors from Lahore. The Globe truly is a sacred space for actors. Performing in broad daylight, when one can clearly see each and every member of the audience, is remarkable. One gets to connect and interact with the audience and feel the energy run through the crowd as the performance progresses. The seating arrangement of the theatre gives actors a hundred and eighty degree view of the audience. That is tremendous. It was a truly magical experience, one that will stay with me forever. Fortunately, the folks at the Globe made a high definition recording of our performance. It is one that I value dearly.

The play received very good reviews.

Yes, it did. The Guardian gave us a rating of four stars. The performances of only five other participating countries received four stars.

You also starred as Danny Zuko in Grease.

Yes. Grease was the very first licensed production of a theatre play in Pakistan. Ayesha Omar and Sanam Saeed played the roles of Sandy Dumbrowski and Betty Rizzo respectively. Director Nida Butt had cut no corners and spared no efforts in mounting a musical of the highest standard. She used the original music, lyrics and script by Jim Jacobs and Warren Casey. The music was live and all cast members rehearsed for months to get the songs and dances right. I am proud to be have been a part of the great production. The play is set to be staged again in March.

Performing at the Globe was a religious experience, for lack of a better word"

As a newcomer, you seem to have found roles the traditional way through auditions. Not every newcomer is that lucky. There is a lot of abuse of newcomers in the industry.

The abuse exists in almost all professions and, in varying degrees, in all countries of the world. Permitting abuse and exploitation can make entry into the industry easy but, to make a mark, one needs to be professional, talented and skillful. There really are no shortcuts to success in show business.

Does abuse exist in Pakistan?

Surprisingly, I have not seen it personally and I have been acting for nine years. As I said, if one is good at what he does, he need never give in to abuse. No one can stop one with talent from being successful. Now, I do know a few people who have experienced abuse. One of them is a close friend. She was auditioning for a role, when the director tried to take liberties with her. I found out subsequently that the so-called renowned theatre guru of Pakistan, who has been around for decades, is famous for couch casting. It is truly disgusting behavior.

Why didn’t you do anything about it?

One, because the director is powerful and a liar. He would have lied himself out of the situation and placed the blame on her. This would have hurt her prospects as an actor. Two, Pakistan is not kind to women who do not tolerate abuse and standup for themselves. Irresponsible media scrutiny, gossip and rumor-mongering can ruin one’s reputation overnight. And the emotional, financial and personal cost of taking the abuser to court can often be more painful than the abuse itself. I was willing to do something about it but had to respect my friend’s decision to let the matter go. It may not have been the right thing to do on principle but it was the right way for her to protect her reputation and prevent additional harassment. Moreover, if you think about it, this must have happened numerous times in the past, yet it has never been reported. That is because one can’t do much about such things in our country. One only ends up making his own life miserable by pursuing such matters. I am using the words of people who have gone through this horrible experience.

Who is to be blamed here then?

Our patriarchal culture is one where women are denied the most basic of rights. Our society is one where those with power and money have unfettered and unfair control over law-enforcement agencies. The lack of an actors’ union which would establish proper guidelines and regulate the entire audition process is another big problem. I believe that Faisal Rehman and Attiqa Odho are working on setting up an actors’ union. The union will give actors a unified voice to raise concerns over matters such as abuse.

Have you found a career in show business to be respectable and viable?

My start was in the theatre. It is a very respectable profession but there was almost no money in it. A career as a theatre actor would not have been viable for me. As I have moved on to television and cinema, I have found it to be a decent, lucrative and rewarding field of work. Thanks to actors like Fawad Khan and Ali Zafar, conservative families, who did not approve of careers in show business historically, are now beginning to encourage their children to pursue careers in the media. These actors have shown that good money can be made in the field with dignity, honesty and respectability.

Your film Karachi Se Lahore did very well at the box office. Were you expecting the film to be as successful as it turned out to be?

Yes, I had very positive expectations of the film. A lot of very dedicated people had set their lives aside and worked very hard to make Karachi Se Lahore a good film. I knew that their hard work was going to be rewarded.

Your performance in Karachi Se Lahore received a lot of acclaim. In fact, a lot of people feel that you should have played the lead instead of Shehzad Sheikh.

I am glad that my performance in the film was received well. However, people who feel that I would have done a better job than Shehzad, as the lead, are being far too kind to me and grossly unfair to Shehzad. I think he did wonderfully in the role of Zaheem. Karachi Se Lahore had an ensemble cast and everyone had good, almost equally important, roles in the film. I enjoyed playing the role of Sam. It was a lot of fun.

You have acted in the highly successful serials, Shehr-E-Ajnabi, Ishq Parast, Paiwand, and Nazo. What is your next television serial?

I am just wrapping up shooting for Guzarish which is written by Sanam Mehdi. It will air on the ARY channel. Yumna Zaidi, Affan Waheed, Maha Warsi are my co-stars in Guzarish. It is a serial that deals with human relationships and examines the factors that lead to broken hearts. It is a very well-written and well-directed serial, in my opinion. I think it will do very well.

You are known to conduct yourself with a high degree of propriety and always behave like a gentleman on set.

Yes, that is who I am and that is how I have been raised. People often tell me that I need to start acting with arrogance to be recognized as a star. I have to say that I do act like a clown on the set at times but never like a jerk.

Do you plan to start throwing starry tantrums in the future?

[laughs] I plan not to but I can’t say anything about the future.

I do not want stardom that requires me to act like a jerk. The values of good manners, kindness and gentleness are important to me. I will not be myself if I give them up.

Ally Adnan lives in Dallas and writes about culture, history and the arts. He tweets @allyadnan and can be reached at allyadnan@outlook.com