Don’t want to do message-oriented films: Mohib Mirza

Mohib is satisfied with his career prospects and is positive about where our cinema is headed

LAHORE: Actor Mohib Mirza’s latest cinematic outing, Teri Meri Love Story, is soon to hit theatres across the country. With its trailer already out, the film has not exactly been able to gather much of a response, with most viewers bemoaning its a cliched and predictable story.

Mirza is not new to this sort of criticism. His previous venture, Bachaana, did make a few bucks on the box office but was largely trashed for being a bad film altogether.

However, to the actor, who is also husband to the very talented Aamina Sheikh, criticism does not mean much. Talking to The Express Tribune, Mirza said his choice of films is conscious. “Yes, script and content do top the list but my main agenda is that I do not want to do heavy message-oriented films,” the Bachaana star said. Mirza is not interested is showing a mirror to society.



In his view, entertainment-based, commercial cinema that also has a message fares best. “Our society is already stressed and our dramas thrive on negative portrayal of things.” On his list of priorities, the most important factor is that people should come back entertained from the cinema. “Therefore, my career is headed towards films because I support content that has entertainment value,” he added.

Mirza started his career with theatre and then moved on to telefilms. Never a drama aficionado, he said, “All the drama scripts I read were wrong, one-dimensional portrayals of men and women and I don’t agree with that. I openly say it.”

This does not mean he does not have a response for Teri Meri Love Story detractors. Responding to a question about the trailer being predictable, he said, “I think most stories are predictable. It’s just the way that they are told is different. Even dramas are predictable; we watch them for the way the story is told.”

Mirza iterated that Teri Meri Love Story is not a festival film. “It’s an easy-to-digest film and we should look at it like that.”

He is satisfied with his career prospects and is positive about where our cinema is headed. He plans on continuing with more films in the future, all “easy-to-digest ones”.

Mirza’s understanding of cinema and career objectives, as stated above, seem to be at a distance from his works such as Seedlings, Dukhtar and even the upcoming Arth 2.

However, it seems this new avatar that he has chosen for himself is perhaps here to stay. “At one point I thought there would be no cinema in my life and my entire life will be spent doing nothing, but luckily that is not the case.”

Mirza is also unhappy with the way our actors are treated. “Our people discriminate. We would appreciate someone like Nawazuddin Siddiqui but categorise our own actors,” he said. For him, true appreciation comes from people who approach him on the streets, not film critics or award ceremonies. “I know what people feel about my work and that’s what matters. Whether it’s Bachaana or Teri Meri Love Story, I know what entertainment I have given to my fans.”

Published in The Express Tribune, July 30^th, 2016.

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