He’s been gearing up as romantic hero in his plays as well as his movie debut in the upcoming Balu Mahi but Osman Khalid Butt is famous for his funny bones more than anything else. Anyone who’s been a fan of his YouTube channel will vouch for the fact that OB can make people laugh! But he did manage to venture out beyond the humour as he set foot in the realm of drama serials. His portrayals in Aunn Zara and Diyar-e-Dil won him brownie points with the masses as did Janaan (2016) which he wrote. Currently appearing as the perpetually perplexed Harib in Sanam while promoting Balu Mahi in full swing, Butt talks to Instep about his character and much more…

His vitals

Age

30, but it’s like my brain has just hit puberty

Hometown

Islamabad (cue Adele’s ‘Hometown Glory’)

Big break

Moulin Rouge (theatre), Aunn Zara (television)

Crazy fact

I have a world more expansive than the Sims universe in my head. Would have called it a ‘mind palace’ a la Sherlock, but that just smacks of cheese.

Weirdest thing you’ve heard about yourself

A rather crazed fan once claimed I would actually murder my cast members during an onstage performance (I directed and was the principal antagonist in a thriller called The Good Doctor back in ’07) and then resurrect them so they could perform the next night. That I was in cahoots with Satan. True story.

Role in Balu Mahi

Bilal Malik aka ‘Balu’, a tightly-wound, passive-aggressive character with no time to process heartbreak because happenstance brings Mahi, misery, and eventually magic into his life.

Thoughts on Pakistani cinema

Despite the dhaka-start, trial and error phase we’re in (consider the industry an

infant that’s just started teething), I see passion and the will to persevere.

Most embarrassing thing in your closet

I’m a hoarder and attach emotion to - yes, even clothes, so I’d say all the stuff I bought years ago when apparently in a Govinda funk?

Lesson learnt from 2016

To cancel out the white noise. Patience. Endurance. My God I sound like a Nike ad.

Maya Ali or Ainy Jaffri?

I see what you did there. Tatiana Maslany.

Writing or acting?

Acting. Not only is that a more challenging medium, there’s no greater high than performing. Trust me, I’ve dabbled.