'Conversations with Kanwal' explores the journey of a man who conquered his own destiny

Adeel shares how he overcame the expectations of his family to carve his own path

The latest episode of Conversations with Kanwal explores the challenges and sacrifices that men in our society have to make to fit into a set mould.

We're introduced to Adeel, who is currently pursuing his dream as a theatre actor but, as he narrates, the road to getting where he is now wasn't easy at all for him.

Since he was a child, Adeel had looked up to his grand father, an RJ and voice-over artist and coach at Radio Pakistan. His untimely death meant that he couldn't land his name in the big leagues, but Adeel always wanted to take his legacy forward, much to the dismay of his family.

PHOTO: YOUTUBE

"Everyone in my family believed that I am choosing the wrong direction, that this is not good for me," shared Adeel.

"Every parent wants their son to mature fast so he can stand on his own feet and sustain a family. But I wasn't like that, I was more the happy-go-lucky kind who did what he wanted to."

He realised that his calling was performing arts when, while studying BS computer science at university, he felt more drawn to dance and acting competitions instead. Participating in these took up most of his time and efforts and he would often find himself failing classes and winning acting trophies.

That had to mean something for him.

PHOTO: YOUTUBE

"I've even gotten beat by my mother at this age and I have no shame in sharing this - ofcourse my father was working overseas and she was the only one taking care of us so she was worried for me," he opened up.

His father had no clue of his involvement in arts. Adeel wanted to keep it a secret so as to avoid troubling him - he was unsure of the craft and what it could reap since he had had to assume the family responsibility at an early age, and expected the same from Adeel.

He couldn't share it with people, but all the uncertainty was breaking him from the inside. "Even though I was failing, I was still participating in the competitions. I thought something may go right, but it didn't."

PHOTO: YOUTUBE

It all snowballed - his family's expectations that he couldn't meet, his failing grades, his girl friend giving up on him due to his 'non-serious' attitude - and he was pushed into a place where he tried to commit suicide thrice. "I was feeling defeated, personally, professionally and mentally," said Adeel.

He was able to pick himself up in time though, resolving to turn his life around and prove his worth and talent to everyone. "I was focusing more on my failures rather than learning from them. I was almost enjoying hurting myself. So i decided to and did take myself out of that depressive episode which took me around six-seven months," he recalled.

After dropping out, he found a team that was to become like a family to him, and they got him his first break in theatre, going on to perform in a commercial theatre show at NAPA with them.

PHOTO: YOUTUBE

"Zia Mohyeddin and other celebrities were present in the audience and appreciated my performance. The journey of the success of my passion started from here, in 2015," Adeel reminisced with a twinkle in his eye.

He also remembered how his mother was teary-eyed, seeing him perform on stage for for the first time, and how his family likened him to his grandfather after watching him perform, saying, "You are registering your grandfather's name." "I was on the seventh sky after hearing this!" Adeel shared.

Watch the episode here.

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