Our actors making a name in India gave birth to insecurity: Javed Sheikh

Veteran artist talks Bollywood ban, what makes him an industry bigwig and latest projects

ISLAMABAD: Not many actors have an illustrious career like Javed Sheikh’s, which spans over four decades and yet he continues to have an undeniable relevance in the entertainment industry. It’s unfair to call him a yesteryear star as he continues adding one feather to his cap after another, keeping his offerings apposite like no other. Talking to The Express Tribune, the Na Maloom Afraad star opens up about what makes him an industry bigwig and his latest endeavours.

SCREENGRAB

To paraphrase a line that Shakespeare wrote about Cleopatra, “Age cannot wither him, nor custom stale his infinite variety.” However, there’s little room for actors of age in the Pakistani scene. If not indifference, there’s certainly lesser substance and an evident pigeonholing, and stereotyping to fit patriarchs somewhere in films. To Sheikh, films like the recent 102 Not Out, completely carried by veteran Bollywood actors like Amitabh Bachchan and Rishi Kapoor are risks that the nascent local cinema cannot afford to take.

My ex-wife Salma Agha stopped me from working with Rekha: Jawed Sheikh

“I started my journey altogether with smaller roles. I then became a hero and while I was doing leading parts, I got to take up films with negative characters also. I was advised not to, but I’d taken that bold step from there only,” he said, about transitioning from the male lead to character roles. “I made my own film, Yeh Dil Aapka Hua and I cast Moammar Rana as the lead instead. I think I made that transformation myself. As age passes, one has to think about that and I’d thought about it much earlier.”

PHOTO: FILE

“After a certain point, I realised I’d be doing character roles, but I wanted to choose the best out of those,” Sheikh continued, adding he decided to take it in his stride by handpicking distinctive offerings. “I think I’m very happy with what I’m getting, especially with films like Wrong No. and Jawani Phir Nahi Ani or Na Maloom Afraad, which also got me a Best Supporting Actor trophy at the Lux Style Awards. I think when you give the audience variety, in whatever capacity it may be, they always like you.”

Mahira Khan defends Javed Sheikh, amid LSA 2018 kissing controversy

Satisfied and content with the roles he essays, it is in that very pursuit that Sheikh took up the Meenu Gaur and Farjad Nabi’s multi-starrer 7 Din Mohabbat In (7DMI) alongside Mahira Khan, Sheheryar Munawar, Amna Ilyas and Mira Sethi. Portraying the peculiarly named, “good-looking” djinn, Dwarka Prasad from Delhi, it is his character summoning Tipu, played by Munawar, to find true love within seven days.

“In the beginning, when they came to me with a genie’s character, I was definitely very reluctant. However, after Farjad narrated me the whole story, I was instantly interested as I found it to be a very challenging role,” he stated. “I’d never done something like this before. I have a number of different get-ups in the film, so we started working on that and I’m so glad people who’ve seen a glimpse of it in the trailer and otherwise have liked what they’ve seen.”

Javed Sheikh.PHOTO COURTESY CATALYST PR

The last couple of Eids have been busy for Sheikh, at times starring in more than one film to come out on the occasion. This year, Eidul Fitr marks his return to the director’s chair with the action-thriller, Wajood. “Drawing parallels with Hollywood or even India, they purposely plan to release their films on Christmas or Diwali,” he explained. “I don’t think it comes at the cost of another film. The better film always rises. At the 7DMI trailer launch, I refused to speak about Wajood. That’s how we can lend each other due support.”

Wajood, which also features Sheikh as its apparent antagonist, mainly comprises a younger star-cast with Danish Taimoor and Saeeda Imtiaz taking the lead. Making a directorial comeback after a decade, one wonders what kept Sheikh away all these years. “I’m an actor basically, I just happen to enjoy direction; it’s more of a hobby I would say. I feel Wajood is releasing a little later than I’d wanted it to as well, I was just so much occupied with other acting projects,” he maintained.

Javed Sheikh.PHOTO COURTESY BY IMSA EVENTS

“You know, Syed Noor and I started out our careers together, but including Wajood, I’ve only made 8 films in total. I think it also has to do with the fact that there was no industry at all. I made Yeh Dil Aapka Hua in 2002, which was a turning point for the film industry. I think the revival started from there only. It was the first Pakistani film on Dolby Digital. But I got busy with acting and I went to India, so only recently I realised that I wanted to shoot on newer technology available to us and create different kind of cinema from what I’d done previously.”

To Sheikh, he’s been able to package his film with a riveting suspense thriller that will “keep you glued to your seats” with promises of meaningful content, music and locations, considering a better portion of the film has been shot in Turkey. Nevertheless, what’s managed to catch eyeballs is one of the film’s female leads, budding Indian actor, Aditi Singh. In the backdrop of an official ban placed on Pakistani actors from working across the border, one wonders what drove the seasoned artiste to cast Singh.

Humaima Malick and Javed Sheikh are star-struck on meeting Salman Khan

Javed Sheikh. PHOTO: AYESHA MIR/ THE EXPRESS TRIBUNE

“Casting Aditi is my answer to the ban; our hearts are bigger and open to everyone. Also, I feel our industry is growing and we do want to cast international actors. We’re now finally at a stage where we can import actors as well, of course we can’t afford big stars, but one day, we will be able to,” Sheikh responded. “I don’t understand why they’ve placed a ban on Pakistani actors. Film-makers in India love working with us but this ban has been enforced upon them as well. I think our actors had started making a name there and perhaps that gave birth to some insecurity as well.”

Apart from 7DMI and Wajood, Javed has a momentous summer ahead of him starting off with romantic-comedies including Jackpot against Noor Hassan and Sanam Chaudhry as well as Ali Zafar’s Teefa in Trouble. The latter, however, landed in hot waters as leading man and producer, Zafar was called out by Meesha Shafi for sexually harassing her at more than one occasions. Having closely worked with the accused perpetrator, Sheikh believes there’s no fuel to an unassertive, yet certainly famed fire. “Ali is a very loving person; I think it’s just a baseless accusation. He’s not the kind of person he’s been made out to be. In fact, he can accuse women of sexual harassment, he’s that popular and so many girls are after him.”

Slated to release on Eid, the film stars Danish Taimoor, Javed Sheikh and Sohai Ali Abro in lead roles. PHOTO: PUBLICITY

Currently under pre-production, he’s signed onto two more films – Zulfikar Sheikh’s Good Luck and Jhilmil. “I do feel every new character’s a challenge. Be it 7DMI or Wajood, or Jackpot or Teefa in Trouble. I’m getting to play characters I haven’t before and I have been facing these challenges for all these years and in nearly in all my characters,” he said, adding that he prefers working with directors with a vision and doesn’t embezzle his influence on the sets. “I don’t even like to interfere in the director’s approach. Of course, there can be suggestions but that’s different.”

Have something to add to the story? Share in the comments below.