Catching up with the Janaans

Ali Rehman, Bilal Ashraf share experiences from latest project

LAHORE: If there’s one thing Janaan’s PR team should be lauded for, it is for making sure the trio of Ali Rehman, Bilal Ashraf and Armeena Khan is everywhere on print and social media.

The packed promotional schedule ahead of the film’s Lahore premiere has not, however, dampened the cast’s excitement in the slightest. The Express Tribune recently caught up with the Janaan boys after their first big screen outing together.

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Rehman is no stranger to acting, with stints in theatre, television as well as indie films. He was seen in Rishtey Kuch Adhoorey Se, Mohabbat Ab Nahi Hogi and last year’s highly acclaimed Diyar-e-Dil. The Islamabad-based actor, who made his silver screen debut with Slackistan, has certainly taken a leap with Janaan.



He seemed pleased about the response his role in the film has garnered. “People thought it was a very inherently Pakistani story and had no likeness with Bollywood,” he shared. “That was one of the best compliments we got.”

The storyline was in fact one of the main reasons Rehman decided to take on Janaan as his first big banner film. That and the team behind the film, Imran Kazmi, Hareem Farooq, and Osman Khalid Butt, who he has known personally for years. “I know their work ethic and the kind of work they are capable of,” he added.

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Rehman’s chemistry with the cast and crew is evident because the actor has already cut a deal with them for his next film. “I am also working on a film called Parchi with the same cast and crew as that of Janaan,” he revealed. Releasing by the end of next year, Parchi is a comedy starring Farooq, Usman Mukhtar, Rehman and Munir Hussain among others.

For Bilal Ashraf Janaan was his debut film, besides a blink-and-you’ll-miss cameo in Operation 021 the actor with a dimpled smile and chiseled jawline is happy to see his second screen appearance appreciated. “I hadn’t seen the full final cut of the film [Janaan] until it premiered [in Lahore],” shared the actor. “It was heartening to see people respond really well to the parts I worked hard on.”

Compared to Rehman’s more comic avatar, Ashraf plays a rather serious one in the film, as the two compete for the attention of the beautiful Rana.

“The role I’m playing is not too much like me because I’m more relaxed and easy going,” Ashraf confessed. “When you play a character, you try to search things within your own personality and bring them to the fore. Although my character is uptight, the contrast between him and Rehman’s character and how they romance Rana is what makes Janaan a great watch.”

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Once the promotional rounds for Janaan end, Ashraf’s acting commitments will only pick up pace. He will go back to working on Rangreza with Urwa Hocane and Gohar Raheed and then continue shooting for Jhol (previously called Two + Two) with Ali Azmat, Hocane, Babra Sharif, Mustafa Qureshi and Nausheen Shah.

“Jhol will release during the first half of next year and then I’ll move on to shooting Waar 2. Then, there is also Yalghaar, the high anticipated war-drama that’s awaiting release,” he revealed.


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

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