A penny for his thoughts

Shahroz Sabzwari believes there is great room for improvement in Pakistani cinema, despite its commercial success

KARACHI:

Shahroz Sabzwari has indeed come a long way since he first debuted on television. The young actor believed he received a “bigger break than ever expected” through a 12-part advertisement campaign for a telecom company. “I did those ads over a span of two years,” Sabzwari told The Express Tribune. “In this case you actually get to show your acting skills rather than relying on a perfect pout as models do,” he added.

The actor went on to reflect upon his journey from advertisements to full-fledged acting. “Marina Khan really liked my comic timing and so, I signed up for Tanhaiyaan: Naye Silsilay which I had declined initially,” said Sabzwari. “But then, my father said I need not fear but act out the role to my own liking and I did just that. I was his son in the play as well so the body language was almost the same. Tanhaiyaan was not a massive hit but it was a good experience altogether.”





Fortunately, Sabzwari has managed to shed the parchee tag he had acquired and proved his mettle to those who accused him of having entered the industry on the wings of his father’s stardom. “I have come a long way from those days. I believe that I have to keep proving myself via acting, not to anyone else but chiefly to myself.”

Sabzwari made his film debut at the tender age of 18 in his maternal uncle Javed Sheikh’s Khulay Asman Kay Neechay (KAKN). “It was a small role but I felt honored that I was asked to enact the hero’s younger brother,” he said. “But our timing wasn’t right. KAKN’s release clashed with Khuda Kay Liye — a project that transformed film-making and cinematic experience. Hence, KAKN never got to see better days. However, if it ever gets re-released, I’m pretty sure it will do the best business ever.” he said.



Hailing from a family which boasts of some of the most prominent names of the Pakistani entertainment industry, Sabzwari is well aware of the responsibility on his shoulders to carry local projects forward. “Hence, we have established Javed Sheikh Films, just like Hollywood’s Paramount Pictures and Yash Raj Films in Bollywood,” he shared. The production company aims to take charge of making quality movies and raising the standard of film-making in Pakistan. “The first movie that is releasing via Javed Sheikh Films is Wajood, which does not have any of us [family members] playing the hero,” he added, thereby resting the case for people who assumed the family was going to cast themselves and their associates in the projects.

But while Pakistani films may be doing great business across the country, Sabzwari feels there is still much room for improvement, especially when it comes to content. “We need to focus on our content,” he explained. “Shoaib Mansoor does not compromise on quality. Asim Raza and Asadul Haq need to be credited for making the revival of the cinema possible. If there are 10 bad films, one good one can turn things around.”



The 28-year-old shared his thoughts on the fact that the industry has lost command over Urdu language and literature — a factor that has affected the quality of scripts. “We have less readers of literature amongst us. We do not rely on Urdu literature to manifest our thoughts. We don’t like to read Urdu novels,” he claimed. According to Shahroz, Pakistani content needs to delve into Urdu literature. “Literature never disappoints. Our [script] writers are heavily influenced by Bollywood but content of a film becomes stronger because of literature.”

Published in The Express Tribune, March 12^th, 2016.

Like Life & Style on Facebook, follow @ETLifeandStyle on Twitter for the latest in fashion, gossip and entertainment.