celebrity interview
Super star Imran Ashraf started his showbiz career in 2011 with supporting roles and kept on inspiring with his heart felt performances and it didn't took him long to made it to the lead roles. With ‘Alif Allah Aur Insaan’ (2017) he proved that he is the next big thing of our drama industry. But he didn't stop there and emerged as an accomplished writer when he penned ‘Tabeer’. His devotion and dedication towards his craft is truly inspirational and motivating and as a writer, there is an inimitable intellect that Imran brings to his scripts. With ‘Ranjha Ranjha Kardi’(RRK) (2018) he took the arduous task to carry off the Bhola character of a mentally challenged person and depicted the part with conviction and simply took it to the next level.
Accepting a role that's truly opposite to one's larger-than-life image is very tricky therefore, the entire credit goes to Imran for portraying it with elan. He has also gained recognition and critical acclaim for his appearance in ‘Dil Lagi’, ‘Dil Mom Ka Diya’, ‘Tabeer’, ‘Gul-e-Rana’ and ‘Kahin Deep Jaley’ (KDJ). KDJ was also a super hit serial which aired on Geo TV in 2019. In an exclusive interview with You! this talented and versatile actor shares his thoughts with our readers…
From a mentally retard to negative, a romantic hero to comic, you have performed all kinds of roles. What's that particular role that you are desperately looking forward to?
I don't have any specific desire for any particular role. I feel myself growing as an actor with more and more diverse roles coming my way.
How do you handle fame?
Before joining showbiz, I didn't know that an actor holds such a big fan following. My foray into showbiz industry is purely for my survival in life and not for fame. I used to be the best actor in school plays but I haven't ever thought of becoming a professional actor some day and loss in my business brought me here. Fame is a very strange thing but AH I am the same Imran Ashraf that I used to be.
Where does that all inspiration come from which help you enact those complex roles like bhola effortlessly?
I draw my inspirations from the real characters in life. All the people around us are characters and we need no other inspiration to hone our acting skills.
What do you think of today’s dramas?
Television landscape has vividly changed. Today what we need is a fair mix of business acumen and creative instinct to deal with this fast evolving, challenging, competitive yet cluttered setting. The director should have the ability to comprehend the pulse of the viewer and writers should come out of their stereotypical domain, whereas media bosses should not be worrying about attaining exorbitant ratings.
There was a time when PTV serials consisted of 13 episodes only, now some serials have over 40 episodes. What do you have to say in this regard?
I feel that drama quotient in a serial dies when the number of episodes jumps over 24. When projects are unnecessarily dragged even our viewers start poking fun at the inconsistencies and other bloopers.
Why our drama is fast losing its magic?
Substandard content sans any defined moral boundaries, produced under the caption of commercialism holds no more excitement. No wonder our drama is fast losing its magic.
What’s the role of a writer?
Sticking to our norms and bringing things out of the closet through scripts gets tricky at times. But that's where a writer has to show the prowess of his pen. A writer makes you a part of the world he creates out of his own vision and through his characters.
What kind of issues are we dealing with in drama production these days?
Today we are dealing with plethora of problems like lack of originality, compromises, reliance on rehashed old stereotypical and commercial formulas etc. I don't know why are we that short of stories and till what time the prevalent trend of looking into people’s homes would be exploited.
Aren't the viewing patterns of our audiences fast shifting to the digital medium?
A tad bit of stagnation has set in for sure; but mark my words that great content doesn't need any particular medium to out-break. Nothing can stop a good content from making it presence felt - be it is print, electronic or digital media.
Are you thinking of doing films?
I would be making my film debut with ‘Dam Mastam’, directed by Mohammad Ehteshamuddin, a brain child of Amar Khan, and produced by Adnan Siddiqui.
What are we going to have in your upcoming serial ‘Mushk’?
It would be my second attempt as writer. In this serial you will get to see reality of life in all its manifestations - from bitter to harsh and even very harsh truth . It would be an intense serial having shades of dark comedy.
What does usually inspire you to write?
I write when I'm really very happy ...
And what does make you happy?
When people around me are happy and when my happiness doesn't stem from making someone else, unhappy.