Though his work always managed to speak louder than anything, I was desperate to have a conversation with this dreamboat and get to the know his perspective to life. From the days of critically and commercially acclaimed serial, ‘Mohabat Subh Ka Sitara Hai’ to being the hero of a mega film, this heartthrob had truly come a long way. Going into the technicalities and losing myself into that magical world of his, I proudly present, Adeel Hussain!
PakiUM: You’ve been acting for a long time now, why did you choose Ho Mann Jahaan to be your film debut, how did you relate to the script and Asim’s magical cinematic world?
Adeel: This work has many facets to it and because I’ve been doing it for a while now, I try to stick to basics, which is the fact that it’s a job. That simplifies my work a bit. Choosing the film was a convergence, the script was discussed with me, I liked it and I wanted to work with Asim. I wanted to try something new, I was also keen on doing a debut feature film. I liked the theme, the Vision Factory team was amazing, I wanted to work with Mahira, so I jumped in.
PakiUM: How was the experience with Ho Mann Jahaan and what sort of character would we see you portraying?
Adeel: Well I can’t discuss my character beyond any generic descriptions. His name is Nadir, he’s a college student and is part of the trio of friends the story is based on. They are inhabiting a certain portion of their life which has a lot of activity compressed into it, which is what being young is all about!
The experience is obviously multifaceted, I’ve really enjoyed working with everybody and one has to try to do that and be open to that anyway because it’s an integral part of this work. This is the way good collaborative work happens, especially in the way Asim wants to tell his story. So I was very lucky that I had a lot of fun. I don’t think I can condense the Ho Mann Jahaan experience in a few lines.
PakiUM: Tell us something about your second film Dobara Phir Say, how do you think it would be different from Ho Mann Jahan in means of story and the character you play?
Adeel: I focus on one thing at a time and by the looks of it, ‘Dobara Phir Say’ will turn out to be my second film and I want people to keep an eye out for it. That’s all I’m going to say right now. There will be more to discuss about it in the future but currently it’s time for Ho Mann Jahaan.
PakiUM: Tell us about how you started your career, was acting always your dream job?
Adeel: it’s been an elaborate journey. I did imagine at a very young age that acting would be fun but I wasn’t close to the idea of seeking it as a profession at all. I was into drawing and painting, school and then later I was trying to wonder what career would be suitable for my mind. I studied science in school, I moved from wanting to be an astronaut to a scientist. Then I got into business. I was figuring myself out. I had a lot of exposure to the fundamentals of art as three of my mother’s siblings were artists and painters in their own right so there was a lot of exposure.
I was very fascinated by films though, and animation. I watched a lot of animated stuff, read a lot of comics, drew a lot of stuff, wrote a bit. I was into a big chunk of the storytelling paradigm. We watched a lot of films in my family. I had access to a tv and vcr at age 11 which was pretty cool for that time. I do think I needed to go through imagining myself in different professions though. I went through a lot of uncertainty and but got pulled back to stories every time.
It was a year before I finished my bachelors that I knew I would jump ship. By that time I was cognizant of the unique experiences actors and directors must have while creating these amazing films and I was seduced. For me, the appreciation was always dual. I did a lot of videography, photography, and freelance work before hand. So I never isolated acting as my singular dream. Visual storytelling overall has been my dream ,and more than anything I just want to be part of creating stories.
PakiUM: So after Ho Man Jahan releases what are your current line up of projects and future plans?
Adeel: I don’t have any concrete plans, I am developing things. There is global awareness for artists and people to try to create more of what interests and excites them and that’s what I aim to do. I’ll try to be part of innovative content and push things forward. That seems like a tall enough order in Pakistan. I think there are exciting times ahead, times calling for very hard work but I cant guess at more than that as things go the way they go.
Rapid Fire!
PakiUM:Actors and actresses you admire
Adeel:Too many to name. Michael Fassbender, Daniel Craig, Gary Oldman, Anne Hathaway are a few that are in my mind right now. I’m watching a lot of international stuff.
PakiUM: A project of yours that you personally love
Adeel: I love this work in general, so I I have good memories about most of it. There is some of my work that I don’t love (Laughs) but I don’t want to single anything out.
PakiUM: How would you describe yourself in five words?
Adeel: Hardworking and infinitely motivated! That’s how I think I can describe myself (Laughs)
PakiUM: Who is your inspiration?
Adeel: My inspiration is everything that I find good because there’s a lot to learn from in life. When you isolate something as your specific interest, you become limited. Having your own aesthetics is fine but that doesn’t mean you ignore the amazing things people are doing all over the world in every profession.
PakiUM: Your first shelved film Freedom Sound was expected to be big, tell us something about what happened?
Adeel: Freedom Sound is mistakenly perceived as a shelved film by random people on the internet when such is not the case. It was executed nine years ago and was essentially a showcase project. It basically aimed to show what me and my colleagues could do with a camera and a concept under rupees ten hundred thousand at that time. Most people at that time believed a Sci-fi project couldn’t be made in Pakistan. It was never really conceived as a feature film. It did however have a mini snowball effect over the years which I’m really appreciative of. We never got to a point where we got money for Freedom Sound ‘the movie’.
PakiUM: On the ending note, what would be for message for the readers?
Adeel: Thank you for all the love and support. Keep an eye out for what’s coming in the future!
Interview conducted by Ahmed Sarym.
