Affan Waheed to make big screen debut with Amna Ilyas in 'Mastani'

Both the actors provided detailed accounts of their characters in the film

KARACHI: Expected to hit cinemas across Pakistan sometime later this year, shooting for upcoming film Mastani is underway in Islamabad and Pindi these days. What's even more exciting is that Mastani will mark Do Bol star Affan Waheed's first foray onto the big screen and he will be doing so opposite none other than model-turned-actor Amna Ilyas.

Mastani is a rom-com written and directed by Usman Rizvi, a US-based film-maker who will be releasing it in Pakistan. Asked why he chose this particular project as his debut, Waheed told The Express Tribune, "I had refused a couple of films before this for their generic storylines, but it wasn't like I had many offers lined up either. However, this one was an accident waiting to happen."

He went onto explain how Mastani had also seemed like just another run-off-the-mill script initially but after being constantly prompted to read the script, he decided to take it on.

"I thought it was just going to be like all the other films but when I read the whole script, it hit me," Waheed recalled. "My character is a decent and kind-hearted man coming from a humble background. He falls in love with this girl named Aliya, played by Amna Ilyas, and then their story progresses. I really wanted to break that big screen ice with this role."

Waheed revealed there wasn't anything extraordinary about Mastani that swooped him away but instead, how it presented ordinary things in an extraordinary way. "I would love to do something more experimental too but I don't mind commercial as long as the audience can connect with it."

The actor also addressed the ongoing comparisons between Mastani Ranbir Kapoor/Deepika Padukone's 2015 hit Tamasha because of something Waheed had said earlier. "A year ago, I said I would love to do a film like Ranbir Kapoor's Tamasha so people automatically assumed that this project is similar to that, but it isn't," he clarified.

Waheed added that Mastani is a family drama which targets several social issues, following which Ilyas also commented on the matter.  "The film is about a lion-hearted girl who wants to study further but fate has other plans for her. She doesn't want to get married but she wants to bring a change in the society," said the local star. "Amna is quite professional and I've learned quite a few things about working on the big screen from her."

Meanwhile, Ilyas also dished out the dirt on her latest character. "I play is Aliya while Affan is Shakeel. More than romance, their chemistry is expressed through their deeply-bonded friendship."

She added, "Shakeel works in an NGO and he is more like the listener, the helper and a generous man, while Mastani focuses on Aliya's non-conformist attitude that takes the story forward."

According to Ilyas, Rizvi is "really open" as a director they haven't had to deal with a lot of barriers on the sets. "He doesn't care about the audience wanting to watch a shy, innocent girl. He is more interested in showing a powerful woman - which is why I took up this role."

Asked why the audience should watch Mastani once it has released, Ilyas commented, "Any kind of social issue is worthy of viewership in our society. That's why why Zindagi Tamasha should have been released as well. As for this film, I'm just hoping the audience is ready to see a woman as a hero because we also have good stories to tell."

Both Waheed and Ilyas explained how the audience was shocked when news of their respective roles broke out. "Affan is this charming, decent and sweet guy and people were probably not expecting he'd be paired up with the bold and hot me, but I'm sure they'll love our chemistry when the film comes out," Ilyas concluded.

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