Atif Aslam waited 17 years for the 'perfect script' before venturing into acting

Aslam's debut in star-studded 'Sang-e-Mah' grabbed the spotlight at a recent premiere.

What could be defined as a perfect formula for a hit drama serial? To many, it could just be a well-written script, a skilled director, a brilliant crew and a stellar cast. But for some, it's touted to be a non-quintessential topic, a seasoned director and a debut that would go on to become the talk of the town. 

With Sang-e-Mah, the makers treaded the waters carefully and have managed to emerge victorious.

On Friday, the cast and crew of the much-awaited drama walked the red carpet at Nueplex cinemas in Karachi for the premiere of their upcoming show. While brilliant actors such as Kubra Khan, Hania Aamir, the newbie Zaviyar Naumaan, director Saifee Hassan interacted with the fans and media at the venue, the wait for Atif Aslam continued. 

The commotion at the entrance served as the cue for the entry of the Doori crooner, huddled by his security and several PR persons. From the corner of your eye, you could see a glimpse of silver passing through the crowd. Clad in a metallic jacket, paired with black shirt, trousers and sunglasses covering half of his face, Atif made his way to the red carpet. 

The atmosphere in the room shifted as everyone fought tooth and nail to catch a glance of their favourite star. Atif briefly responded to the queries posed by the media present at the venue before he was hurried inside the cinema with his co-star, Kubra.

As the episode began, the usually soft-spoken Atif transformed into a cunning-looking antagonist. Hilmand is nothing like the heartthrob adored by millions of fans and getting into the skin of his character wasn't an easy task. The actor, while talking about his role in the press conference post-premiere, talked about why he decided to sign Sang-e-Mah as his acting debut. 

Nailing the brief

Atif, who has had several offers to kickstart his acting career, divulged that the Saifee directorial seemed like the project he had been waiting for. "What really clicked for me was how this was a new territory for me. I had never done this [acting] before," he told the audience. "I know it sounds very cliche, that you have been waiting for the right script. I have been waiting and 17 years later, Sang-e-Mah seemed to be the perfect script for me. I wanted to do it.”

Crediting his busy schedule, committing to shooting for dramas was a herculean task as opposed to his daily concerts. However, the actor seemed to have managed brilliantly. “It was challenging for me,” the singer added. “We’ve performed globally. We interacted with people, with fans and then we’d return [to our lives]. But for 40 days, we were shooting Sang-e-Mah, that too in a village. I was very curious about how the show would turn out. But the confidence Saifee and Mustafa had in the script was enough to convince me. I read it and I readily agreed to it.”

He went on to laud actors while sharing he has a new-found respect for the onscreen artists. “I would like to appreciate everyone who works in films, dramas – regardless of the medium. I have so much respect for them. It’s difficult work,” he remarked. 

The blessing in disguise

Atif went on to comment how he has always believed he is blessed from above. “I have this utmost belief that even in my music career of 17 years, I haven’t really done much but there’s this divine power that has paved my way for me. I have been blessed tremendously,” he said, adding, “Even today, when I would be working onscreen and people have been praising me for it, I have the same belief that the Almighty has been very kind to me.”

Hilmand – the black sheep

Atif further elaborated how he managed to nail the demanding character, Hilmand, in the show. Hilmand, the elder son of Mir Marjaan Khan [Naumaan Ijaz] and Zarsanga [Samiya Mumtaz], is the black sheep of the family. Unlike his younger brother, Hikmat [Zaviyar], Hilmand is the rebellious sibling, who goes head-to-head with his father. The Pehli Nazar singer shed light on how tough it was for him to essay Hilmand for the first few days of the shoot. 

“For the first three, four days, I was trying to wrap my head around how to play this character,” Atif commented. “Then I started talking to myself. There were two people who were travelling with me. I kept rehearsing with them. It wasn’t easy to memorise the dialogues Mustafa had written. I would keep rehearsing with one of them and then the other person was responsible for the look,” he further shared, adding, “There were no mobile signals in the area where we were shooting, so we literally had nothing else to do. It was a blessing in disguise.”

The singer then commented that even after wrapping up the shoot of Sang-e-Mah, he had a hard time parting ways with Hilmand. “He stayed with me. Hilmand resided in me for a long time.”

‘Why not?’

Unlike the norm, Atif’s acting debut doesn’t see him as a knight in the shining armour. Hilmad is dark, witty and somewhat spiritual. Talking about why he chose to take up an unconventional role, Atif shared, “Why not?” The actor further responded to The Express Tribune, “You’re watching ‘drawing room’ serials daily. But if we’re thinking outside the box, we’re being experimental. I really loved the whole approach towards the script. It’s so well-written. It really grips you. I had no knowledge in acting, which is why I’m giving the due credit to everybody.”

He further elaborated, “When I read the script, it had the potential. Which is why I signed it.” When asked about his inspiration behind playing his recent offering, the singer shared, “Inspiration? I think to unlearn Atif Aslam is a task in itself. Which is what I really enjoyed. I talked to the people, I talked to the entire team. I worked with different artists, with the veterans. Imagine Naumaan Ijaz is standing in front of you and you know he is an A-class actor and you’re a newbie. Imagine the pressure that would have. It’s not a joke at all. It was a challenge and I love challenges.”

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