In conversation with Mohib Mirza

Having started his career with theatre in 1999, Mohib Mirza has some remarkable performances to his credit. Some of his notable drama serials include Tootay Huwey Par, Meray Dard Ko Jo Zuban Miley and Shehr-e-Zaat, among others. The actor made his cinematic debut with Insha’Allah (2009) for which he won the award for Best Supporting Actor at the Kara Film Festival. He later appeared in films like Seedlings, Josh, Dukhtar, Bachaana and Shaan Shahid directorial Arth - The Destination that released last year in which he essayed the character of a filmmaker who cheats on his wife and falls in love with an actress.

Mohib was last seen on television in Firaaq in 2014 alongside Sanam Saeed. After a hiatus of almost four years, the actor is back on the small screen with Deedan. “I wasn’t too convinced with the content as far as television was concerned and I wasn’t motivated with the characters that I was being offered. So I didn’t take up any TV projects,” Mohib Mirza told Instep, responding to why he hasn’t been appearing on television for sometime. “The thing is, you have the choice to select roles and hence you saw less of me on television. But as soon as I got the offer to play Zardaab in Deedan, I said ‘yes’.”

Directed by Amin Iqbal, the play is shot in the beautiful Attabad Valley of Hunza. Three episodes into the play, it follows the intense love story of Zardaab (Mohib) and Resham (Sanam Saeed), who are separated by Resham’s father. Her father, essayed by Rasheed Naz, doesn’t approve of Zardaab and marries Resham off to Shehbaz Khan (Hassan Noman). How things take a turn will be revealed in the coming episodes.

The plot, reflecting the Pakhtoon culture and customs that are followed since time immemorial, is slow and has nothing new to offer but Mohib Mirza’s performance and the way he has adopted the typical accent is certainly commendable.

“If you ask me, Zardaab Khan is the modern day ‘Majnu’,” Mohib said, adding that the most challenging bit about this play was to learn the accent.

On working with Sanam Saeed, who he was last seen in the film, Bachaana, Mohib said that they share the camaraderie and so it is always a pleasure to work with Sanam.

Talking about his film Arth – The Destination that was written, directed and produced by Shaan Shahid but didn’t resonate well with the audience, Mohib shared, “For me it was more than enough that Shaan, such a big name of our film industry, approached me for the role. I accepted the offer and the main objective was to learn something new, the techniques he used and how he shot the entire film. Why the film didn’t do too well at the box office was something that was not in my control – I was just an actor.”

He continued, “There could’ve been a lot of factors - I think one reason was promotions and, as a viewer, I think people didn’t like the editing. But at least my objective to work with Shaan was accomplished.”

When asked about the factors that he keeps in mind while selecting roles, he asserted, “These days my only focus is not to portray men in a negative light. Besides, I take into account the script, what character I am being offered and how challenging the part is.”

According to the actor, television is a woman’s domain but internationally things are changing and slowly and gradually we will see a shift in Pakistan as well.

“I agree that men have limited options to portray but now content departments and their heads have become a bit conscious about men playing substantial roles. So I think with time it will become better.”

As for his upcoming projects, the actor is gearing up for a TV play, titled Dushman, which will go on air in the coming months.“Apart from this, I will be working on a feature film from January onwards,” he informed. “I can’t reveal anything at the moment but will share the details soon.”

On a parting note, Mohib Mirza said, “My past, present and future has, is and will revolve around acting and I will keep on doing that with honesty and devotion. However, in the future I will try to cater and entertain the youth and subconsciously give them a substantial message through the work I do.”