Came back to film after winning over audiences through television: Bilal Abbas Khan

Bilal Abbas Khan returns to the silver screen with Nabeel Qureshi's 'Khel Khel Mein'

Actor Bilal Abbas Khan has made quite a mark on the Pakistani showbiz industry in a short span of time. The star, having bagged accolades at recent award shows for his performance in TV serial Pyaar Ke Sadqay, as well as a starring role in Nabeel Qureshi’s Khel Khel Mein opposite Sajal Aly on the big screen, recently sat down for an interview with a local news outlet, shedding light on his future plans and his experience in the industry so far.

Despite the actor’s recent success, his silver screen debut in the 2017 film Thora Jee Le was not well received, leading him to take on roles on television instead. When asked whether the initial turbulence in the area of film carried forward in the form of fear while working on Khel Khel Mein five years later, Bilal responded, “I wasn’t afraid. In fact, it made me want to do a much better job when it came to my second film since the response to my first film wasn’t too good. That response was the reason why I moved towards television, and once the audience had accepted me through my roles on TV, that is when I decided that it was time to do a film again.” He went on to add, “People watch a lot more TV in Pakistan as compared to film.”

Known for playing love-struck young men, Bilal asserted that he does not wish to take on redundant roles. He shared, “I can’t keep taking on romantic roles. If romance will be the defining feature of all my projects, then it’s just going to get boring for me.”

Bilal’s latest film Khel Khel Mein deals with the 1971 war and the subsequent fall of Dhaka, leading to the partition of East and West Pakistan and the creation of Bangladesh. When asked whether he had any reservations when taking on the role due to the sensitive content contained in the film, Bilal explained there was nothing objectionable in the film. He went on to talk about how, despite its historical significance, there is no discussion of the events of 1971 in Pakistani pop culture due to the sensitive nature of the issue.

“Khel Khel Mein’s director Nabeel Qureshi and producer Fizza Ali Meerza always make commercial films, but they took a risk with this by choosing to deal with a sensitive topic,” said the actor. Bilal highlighted that he had done his fair share of research before signing up for the project, and that he ultimately trusted the script, as well as the filmmakers’ decisions.

Explaining how he is never satisfied with his own performances, Bilal revealed that he is his own biggest critic. Comparing his cinematic role to the ones he has done on television, Bilal shared, “I actually found the role I played in the film easier than the ones I have done on TV. Maybe that is because the character is very simple. I’ve only ever taken on challenging roles on TV. I would have to prepare for them a lot more. With my character in Khel Khel Mein, I was afraid too much preparation may ruin it, since I wanted to rawness of the character to shine through."