Hareem Farooq, comeback queen

Cinema industry in Pakistan is all set for a boost as Mehreen Jabbar’s Dobara Phir Se is ready for release. The film not only marks the return of Mehreen Jabbar to films but also of Hareem Farooq, who was last seen in the film Siyaah. Having co-produced Janaan recently, Farooq talks to Instep about her comeback film as well as other projects and how she balances the mediums of film, theatre and TV.

Instep on Sunday (IoS): Were you surprised when Mehreen Jabbar approached you for her upcoming film, Dobara Phir Se especially considering the fact that your last movie released more than 3 years ago?

Hareem Farooq (HF): This was not the first time that Mehreen Jabbar had approached me; when she was producing Mera Naam Yousuf Hai, I was approached but due to unavailability of dates, I was unable work with her. I regretted not working with ‘the’ Mehreen Jabbar but after a couple of months, I got a message from her…. ‘Hey this is Mehreen Jabbar, if it is possible can we have a Skype Session!’ At first I was like ‘Why does she want to talk to me’ but then I acted sensibly and replied back, ‘Sure why not.’

Until that time I didn’t know what she was working on but when she did tell me about this film, I was like … of course I’m in. Two days later we had another session in which I heard the story and was stunned when she offered me the part of the lead. ‘A lead in a Mehreen Jabbar’ film was the last thing I was expecting and I am happy that I didn’t reject it like before. I told her that I will give you a date, think about it and then if you still feel I can be the heroine of your film, call me again. She said that there was no reason to think again and that’s when I said yes!

IoS: How was the experience of working with Mehreen Jabbar?

HF: It was unexpected to say the least. I never knew if I could ever work with such a fine director but here we are. We had hardly ever met before the film and didn’t know how any of us worked. We clicked, we connected on things and that’s when I thought that it would be great.

IoS: Do tell us something about your role in the film?

HF: I play a very young mother who has to look after herself as well as her kid. She doesn’t have much exposure of the world but is a responsible individual; this is her story.

IoS: You seemed to enjoy dancing a lot; the trailer features you shaking a leg. Was it fun?

HF: I didn’t know how to dance as in ‘dance wala dance’ but since I trust Mehreen, I had fun here. The sequence where we all dance around is sweet, cute and homely type scene. It wasn’t a dance wala dance but a fun kind of thing because never ever did I feel like I was doing something I didn’t want to do.

IoS: How was the experience of working in the United States since most of the film is shot there?

HF: Working in United States was a great experience as a professional. I learnt so many things from just being there and observing the way they work. They plan their shoot and then go through it efficiently and use their time properly. We aren’t that professional in Pakistan; believe me if we apply their work ethics here, things will improve drastically. Mehreen’s style is gora style if you ask me as she knows how to handle the foreign crew. Unlike us, they appreciate each other, are always in problem- solving mode and work as hard as they can. I tried to use their way of working in Janaan which I co-produced with IRK films and which has been in cinema for more than a month now.

IoS: You have worked in theatre, TV and films … how would you differentiate them from each other?

HF: Theatre is my foundation aka base, TV is my eye makeup and film is the finished product. (Smiles) Theatre has been my first love and I would like to go back to it whenever I get the time because nothing can replace the thrill of live audience. Films are something I have always wanted to do and for that, I used TV as a learning place. It groomed me immensely as I got to know about angles, the looks and how one should behave in front of the camera.

IoS: What is IRK Films and how did you become a part of it?

HF: IRK Films is a partnership between Imran Raza Kazmi and Hareem Farooq. He is a very dear and very old friend of mine who started the production company in 2009; I joined him later after we had done Siyaah nearly four years back. We both know exactly what the other person would be thinking and that’s the reason why we got along so well. We both want to revive the cinema industry in Pakistan and that was the reason behind the production of Janaan. What we achieved together, we couldn’t have achieved separately.

IoS: Why didn’t you play the main lead in Janaan, considering it was your film?

HF: I wanted to learn the tricks of the trade and that’s why we decided to use Armeena Khan for the role. I got the offer to work in Dobara Phir Se while we were working in Janaan and it sort of helped me. Had I been playing the lead in Janaan, doing DPS would have been impossible.

IoS: Now that you have a production company, do you plan to do something for TV as well?

HF: TV is a strong medium; Very powerful if you ask me. We want to make good TV serials as well, as producers but not right now as we are working on another project. Nobody knows what people will like and they will not and that’s the reason why I keep shuffling around. This constant juggling keeps me on my toes and that’s the reason why I have projects from film, TV, theatre and production on my to-do list each year. I don’t want to get bored of my work!

IoS: Aren’t you tired of playing the roti dhoti characters in our plays? How can we improve that?

HF: The problem is that we try to make stars out of actors, which is wrong. We need to make actors out of stars! We need to teach out audience rather than showing them whatever to get ratings. The reason why I opted to play a bipolar character in Sanam was because I wanted to do something different.

IoS: Will you continue to do TV if Dobara Phir Se becomes successful?

HF: Oh yes … I will continue to do TV because it appeals to the general public of Pakistan although 70 foot screen gives you huge exposure. In TV you can get away with many things but in films, all eyes are on you! You have to be conscious all the time and love that feeling. In fact, our next production Parchee will have me both as an actor and producer and it will be out next year inshallah.