If the script is good, I'd do theatre for free: Usman Mukhtar

The actor gets candid about film-making and acting

DUBAI: Usman Mukhtar – an actor, director and now cinematographer – is having a ball of a time in the industry.

He started off by making short films but ventured into theatre and then, acting in mainstream films. Usman played a small but funny role in the commercially successful Janaan and now will be seen reuniting with the team in the upcoming film Parchi, as one of the main leads. The Express Tribune (ET) caught up with Usman’s great comedic timing and his no-nonsense take on films.

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ET: Tell us about your character in ‘Parchi?’

Usman Mukhtar (UM): My character’s name in Bilal. He works in a news agency and supports his mother who lives in the village. He is also supports his older Bashir ‘Bash’, played by Ali Rehman Khan and two friends Saqlain and Bhola.

Bash is a street smart guy, completely different from Bilal who is the kind of guy who’s never gotten into trouble. He’s new to whatever Bash has gotten into, so he’s always frustrated. You’ll see Bilal on the edge, sharing the chemistry with Bash.

ET: As a film-maker and actor, what is your take on films in Pakistan where there is a constant conversation about ‘revival’?

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UM: I think it was the seventies when cinema really started going down. For a while there, it was taken over by Punjabi films, with the ‘gujjar’ brand that appealed to a certain crowd. Now, with the revival that has occurred since 2010, we see that films are getting better every passing year.

Last year, we had Janaan against Actor in Law and this year, there were two films that released on Eid followed by Verna. Now, there are three films coming back to back so the volume is increasing. Some films will be a flop while some may become hits but I’m assuming that the future for Pakistani cinema will be bright.

ET: But there was a time when even the lowest common denominator would go and watch movies. Now all they watch are dramas…

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UM: Well, there are only 110 cinemas in the country. The single screen culture is dying and the types of films that are coming out now are being made for multiplexes. A lot of the cinema owners are building multiplexes where previously there were only single screens, so it’s going to take some time. Maybe another four or five years, but we will get there.

I remember about 10 years ago, when a film did 100 crores, in India it used to be a big deal. Our industry has barely had regained its footing and Punjab Nahi Jaungi already touched 50 crores. So imagine, in the next couple of years, we could also be reaching the same mark or going beyond. We should be proud of this. Our audience WANTS to watch movies.

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ET: Film-making or acting, what’s more difficult?
UM: Both of them are equally difficult. Direction has its own frustrations. Personally, I love film-making more.

ET: How did you start your journey as an actor? When did you debut and what have been your inspirations?
UM: I actually wanted to become a cricketer. My favourite cricketers were Wasim Akhtar and Shoaib Akhtar. My parents were confused about my desire to become a cricketer. They would think, ‘Is he that good? Will he go onto national or international level?’

My grandfather wanted me to become a lawyer though. Acting was always a part time thing. What happened with film-making was that I was sitting with a friend when Kara Film Festival was happening and he told me to give it a try. I was a big time wrestling fan and I used to make fan videos on Windows Movie Maker. I gave it a shot and failed miserably but I wanted to keep going. And when I acted, I felt really good. I derived a lot of energy from my audience and I thought – yeah, this is a great feeling.

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ET: What are your expectations from ‘Parchi’?
UM: I’m not Nostradamus so I can’t make predictions as such but I can talk about what I want. I want Parchi to be the highest grossing film of 2018. We’ve gotten a lot of love from so many people and they’ve said that they can’t wait to watch the film. So I’m hoping for great things to happen.

ET: Who have been your favourite actors? 
UM: I’m such a huge fan of Rahat Kazmi. I’d love to make something for him that he can star in. Then there are other great names such as Naseeruddin Shah, Manoj Bajpai, Om Puri, Nawazuddin Siddiqi and Richa Chaddha. I’ve loved Al Pacino since I was a kid. Dog Day Afternoon and Serpico are amongst my favourite films!

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ET: You’ve done a lot of theatre work as well. Would you ever want to go back to it? 
UM: When we were young and doing theatre, we would think if we should do this and how much we would get paid. But there’s hardly anyone doing theatre now so I’d do it for free. It obviously depends on the script but if it is good, I’ll do it for free.

ET: What was the most difficult experience while shooting ‘Parchi’?

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UM: When we were shooting the songs, the weather was very hot. There were no generators and the ACs were too small for giant marquees or big factories. Once we came on set at 2pm and left at 4pm the next day – 26 hours straight – so there were some pretty harsh conditions. But that’s what you have to do. The harder we work, the better result you get.

ET:  What was the most fun experience of shooting ‘Parchi’?
UM: The great part was that we’re all friends on set and we were joking around all the time, pulling each other’s’ legs. If you’re friends with everyone, you don’t just go sit in the corner and do your own thing when the shot is cut. You’re just having fun with each other all the time.

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ET: What are your social media handles? We’d love to stay connected with your latest work.
UM: Baraboda11 on Snapchat – yeah sorry, that used to be my gaming ID and now I can’t seem to get rid of it! I’m MukhtarHoonMein on Twitter and TheUsmanMukhtar on Instagram.

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