We want to be followers, not leaders: Mohammad Ahmad

The actor credits his success in acting to director Asim Abbasi

Pakistani actor and writer Mohammad Ahmad has been in the industry since quite a while, having donned many hats in this time. Although Ahmad, for the most part, has been seen portraying the quintessential pious father in dramas as of late, the actor seems unfazed by being typecasted for the last couple of years.

In a recent interview with BBC Urdu, the Sabat actor said that while he wants to perform different roles, he doesn’t have any complaints. “Yes, I want to play a different role. There have been a couple of offers,” he said.

However, he added that there is always a great chance of audiences not accepting him in a different image.  “Let’s say that I am not conservative but your society is. If I play such {different} a role in front of people who like me, they might say that Ahmed Sahib should not have performed the role. That I feel will be a great loss,” he said.

Elaborating further on this, Ahmad shared that he would only take such a role if he’s certain that his fans won’t be disappointed. "There is a possibility that such characters will not suit me. But I feel that if I am able to stay within my limits while performing them and the audience’s heart doesn’t break, then I will definitely take such a role,” he said. 

The Cake actor gave the example of performing a negative role in Lal Kabootar. Ahmad recalled an instance where someone described his performance with the line 'I have never seen such a decent bully'.

Reflecting back on the last two years during which his on-screen presence has increased significantly, Ahmad credited director Asim Abbasi for taking a chance on him.  “It was Asim Abbasi’s who took a chance on me and cast me in Cake. As a result, I was noticed by many.  We want to be followers, not leaders. So when Asim took the risk, others followed,” he said.

Being a writer for the most part of his career and then eventually stopping after roughly two decades, Ahmad said of his prominence in acting as Allah opening many doors for him after one closed.

“When I had stopped getting work in writing, there was a period of frustration. I became very depressed. I kept writing, trying to write. I kept urging people that I could write,” he said. “There was a time when even after 17 years, I still had to convince people that I could write. But then came the time when I had to give it (writing) ultimately. I was expected to get the girls beaten and raped for no reason. I could not write (such stories).”

At the same time, Ahmad didn’t point any fingers for not getting work as a writer. "I won't blame them for anything. It's my fault I couldn't agree," he said.

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