COVER STORY

What does success mean to you?

Being loved for your craft and being appreciated for what you do.

Something you learned early in your career?

There is no easy way out! You can’t really expect to become an overnight star. And even if you become one, you won’t last for long. You need to work hard and show your craft to the world; that’s how you succeed. And remember that hard work always pays off in the end.

Did you get any formal education for this career?

No, I didn’t get any formal education for acting. Basically when I was a kid, I loved watching wrestling shows; I was actually a huge wrestling fan. I would also make tribute videos of my favourite wrestlers.

Then, Windows Millennium came out in 1998 and introduced Windows Movie Maker. It was easy to use and I would make wrestling clips without any difficulty. Whenever I showed them to my friends, they would appreciate my work. There was a film festival coming up so my friends encouraged me to participate. I was hesitant because I didn’t know anything about film making. Anyway, I took part and failed miserably. That’s when I decided to explore further and learn this craft.

Do you believe good looks and connections are the only things that make a star?

I personally don’t believe that these two things should determine an artist’s success. But unfortunately, looks and connections matter in the industry; talent also counts, but it doesn’t get prioritized over looks and connections.

How has social media changed things for you?

Social media really helps celebrities connect with their fans. You get a quick feedback! You get to read comments from people sitting thousands of miles away from you.

But, sadly, there is this dark side of social media as well. I haven’t faced anything upsetting so far but I know so many actors and friends who get bullied all the time. Hateful comments and trolling really affects the individual.

The funniest thing or gossip you have heard about yourself

That I am a comedian, not an actor. Another one is I don’t know how to act and I just bribed people to get into the industry.

Advice for aspiring actors.

As an actor, I would say do theatre. Stage really trains you and moulds you into a skilled actor.

How do you deal with self doubt?

I just panic especially in moments when I’m not sure what to do. Later if I don’t have a good feeling about something, I don’t go for it. But, in the initial stage, I am freaking out.

MY TEENAGE YEARS

Date of birth and star

July 27; Leo

The best thing about being a teenager was

I could play as much cricket as I wanted! There were no restrictions and I loved playing cricket.

And there were no stressors.

Also, eating anything and not gaining weight.

The worst thing about being a teenager was

So many restrictions by parents; a curfew would be set and I had to come home by 10 pm. All of that was pretty annoying.

I was always listening to

Metal and rock music

My favourite actor

Rahat Kazmi and Zia Mohyeddin

My favourite singer

Shamoon Ismail and Abdullah Qureshi

My favourite super hero

Superman

My favourite movie

The Godfather and Scarface

My favourite book

Superman: American Alien

My closet was full of

Clothes and supplements

My friends were

Amazing

My first crush was

My class fellow, Marium, when I was in grade 4.

What hurt me the most was

When my grandfather died, I felt extremely sad.

My dream was to become

Cricketer

Relations with family were

Complicated

My school was

I went to different schools and all of them were awesome places to learn.

My favourite subject was

English

My least favourite subject was

Maths

I couldn’t stand

The thought of dieting

My favourite food

All sorts of junk food: pizza, burger, nachos, etc.

My favourite hangout

Sitting in my room watching movies and eating

My favourite sport was

Cricket

Things I couldn’t live without

My cricket jerseys, bicycle and in my later teenage years, my car which was in a very bad shape, and my room.

- Tooba Ghani