I do hope to do more music: Ahad Raza Mir

For Ahad Raza Mir, the quality of his work will always have the upper hand over the number of projects he takes on. The actor, who has left a mark in the entertainment industry in a short span of time courtesy of his acting prowess, has many times discussed why he has always been selective while choosing scripts.

In a recent interview with Eastern Eye, the Parwaaz Hai Junoon star spoke about his passion for work, his inspirations, love for singing and how he spends his free time.

Ahad, while talking about his acting journey so far, shared, "At the beginning of my career, I knew how difficult it was, and so it was all about working and getting to know the craft. So, that hunger is there, in the beginning, to just work. With time, the method of how you approach characters and acting changes with the work you start doing. I think with time as I became more successful, I became more selective about work."

He then shared his reasoning for being selective. "You also have to define yourself as an artist, so it’s not fair to yourself to just keep doing everything that comes your way. As much as you might love acting, you need to tell stories that inspire you and play challenging characters," he commented, adding, "I think my journeys became different in that sense. I know what kind of work I want to do and am very grateful I’m able to do it and choose to do it."

The actor was then inquired about his favourite role. Ahad, however, felt it was "an unfair question". He relayed, "They are all close to my heart for different and sometimes similar reasons. They have also challenged me in some way. I’ve been lucky enough to do things that have been completely different from each other, but still tell compelling stories," the Ehd-e-Wafa star responded. "Certain characters hit you differently and certain sets also affect you differently, so there’s no way I could say a favourite. But I think my least favourite would be the most challenging ones."

He also went on to speak about his inspirations. "I think it’s just anything that inspires me. I can usually tell by the first meeting, pitch or description of a story if it’s for me or not. I’m looking for things that I would like to watch and don’t think too much about anything else," he said. "I guess sometimes I think about if somebody else played this character, would I want to see that version or my interpretation. I also look for stories that mean something and people will remember. I think that’s the legacy we leave as artists. So, whatever is remembered is what I’d like to be part of."

In 2018, Ahad made headlines not for his acting prowess but for trying his hand at singing. The actor, along with Momina Mushtehsan sang a rendition of a Pakistani classic on Coke Studio, which garnered mixed reviews from the audience. Ahad and Momina's take on Ko Ko Korina was decried by many for 'ruining' Ahmed Rushdi's original masterpiece.

But the criticism didn't faze him. Speaking of continuing to sing, the actor commented he just cannot make time for it. "I would love to [continue singing], but I, unfortunately, and fortunately, get so busy that I don’t really get to focus much on it."

Sharing about his love for music, Ahad remarked, "I love music. One of the joys in my life is sitting down with musicians and just jamming out with them. It’s just so inspiring to be around talented musicians and seeing them do their thing. It’s also a lot of fun, so is definitely something I’d like to get more into, but in what capacity I’m not sure. I’m into an interesting point in my life where I could go in many different directions, so it’s an exciting time and yes, I do hope to do more music."

So, what kind of music was Ahad into? "I grew up listening to a lot of classic rock, like Led Zeppelin, Deep Purple, Black Sabbath, and bands like these. My father is the person who got me listening to classic rock," he revealed. He further shared it was his father, renowned star Asif Raza Mir, who introduced him to this particular genre.

"It’s an interesting story. I used to listen to a lot of rap and one day my father put on a record. It was Led Zeppelin, the one that had black dog on the cover. It’s the first rock song I heard and was hooked, so I’ve got my dad to thank for that," he shared. "Recently, I listened to a lot of house music and fun disco stuff. I kind of avoid songs with lyrics because music tends to put me in a certain mood. When there are lyrics, it influences where that mood goes, so I like to keep my music a little neutral."

Other than work, Ahad shared he "loves playing the guitar and making music, but unfortunately don’t get too much time for it." He added, "I’m very passionate about gaming and recently got my PlayStation 5, which I’m very happy about. I’m very passionate about our global water crisis, which is something I recently started learning more about –it’s something that is really affecting our planet and people. I’m very passionate about travel, but sadly Covid-19 has made that a real pain."

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