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“Ahad has an affinity for the stage,” says Artistic Producer of Hamlet

By Buraq Shabbir
Thu, 06, 19

We recently broke the news of Ahad Raza Mir bagging a nomination for essaying the role of Hamlet in Hamlet: A Ghost Story, a production of The Shakespeare Company in Calgary. Ahad spent several months in Canada, earlier this year, for rehearsals followed by the performance itself, which received an overwhelming response from audiences.

We got in touch with Haysam Kadri, Artistic Producer of The Shakespeare Company, to speak about Ahad’s performance and how it was received by theatre lovers in Calgary.

“I reached out to Ahad and asked him to come back to Calgary to play Hamlet,” he told Instep exclusively. “Ahad’s performance of the Danish prince garnered a lot of attention locally, nationally and internationally. His portrayal of one of Shakespeare’s most iconic roles was inspiring. Ahad flexed his rhetorical muscles and showed his true skills as an actor. He proved that not only is he a force in film and television, he also has an affinity for the stage.”

He added that they witnessed a large demographic of audience members from the Pakistani community that reflected the diversity they had on stage.

“We would love to be able to bring a stage production to Karachi so his fans in Pakistan can witness Ahad Raza Mir’s talents live and in person,” Kadri expressed, adding that “The Shakespeare Company and Hit and Myths production of Hamlet: A Ghost Story, broke our single ticket record and made it the most successful production in the Shakespeare Company’s history.”

Directed by Craig Hall, Hamlet: A Ghost Story is expected to head to Toronto, followed by Dubai, according to what Ahad shared in an earlier interview with Instep. The actor also hopes to bring the play to Pakistan for his fans who have poured in so much love and appreciation for him always.

Moving on to his projects in Pakistan, Ahad’s ongoing period play Aangan is soon to come to an end while he gears up for his next opposite Sajal Aly. Written by Farhat Ishtiaq and directed by Aehsun Talish, the upcoming project will also feature Adnan Siddiqui and Mira Sethi in key roles. Watch this space for exclusive details on the project that Ahad is really excited about.