If you give the audience something unique and novel, they will accept it: Hareem Farooq

Farooq spoke about her run as a producer, her scarce social media presence and what makes a project tick

After proving her acting prowess through television, theatre and films, Hareem Farooq has seemingly taken a hiatus onscreen. But that doesn't mean she has also paused her work behind the camera. Farooq has successfully ventured into film production with Janaan initially and went on to produce hits Heer Maan Jaa and Parchi.

The 29-year-old star recently visited UAE for Expo 2020 Dubai and managed to have a chat with Khaleej Times. In the same interview, Farooq spoke about her run as a producer and why she decided to stick to production.

“I always wanted to have my production house," the actor told the publication. "I don’t believe in procrastination; if there is something I want to start in the next fifteen years, why not now? With this production house, what I am doing now is setting a strong foundation for myself, for my industry, and for my country. And it’s a learning curve."

In recent trying times, Pakistani cinema has been hit severely. With no local films hitting the market, the cinema owners are relying on foreign content. Farooq had two cents about the same. "As far as cinema is concerned, I firmly believe that if you give the audience something unique and novel, they will accept it," she said of what makes the audience rush to the cinemas to watch a film. "My job is to ensure that I put my heart and soul into my project and deliver it with full honesty. Then leave the rest for the audience to decide.”

On what makes a project tick

Farooq also divulged about measuring the success of films. "It’s a thing of a past where only the box office numbers would define the success of a project. We have had several instances in India and Pakistan where films that did not do well commercially were declared as classics a few years down the road such as Cake and Lal Kabootar. Sometimes, niche films bring into the limelight a talent that commercial films don’t."

She went on to point out, "So just looking at the numbers to define the success of a project is not enough. One has to look at the bigger contribution and impact that the project has made. For me, when fans come to me and say that I have impacted their lives through my work, that is when I feel most satisfied. I did not set up a production house to make hit films, it is there to create an impact and to leave a legacy."

On handling social media

Unlike her counterparts, Farooq feels shy to share candid pictures on social media. “I honestly feel confused and shy about sharing my images out there. First of all, I am not too savvy when it comes to handling social media, but my team does it for me," the star shared. "I think at times I feel that I am such a loser when it comes to social media management. I think it’s a great platform to connect with your people and share your work. Though I am yet to get the hang of it.”

The good ol' OTT debate

Farooq also shared her two cents about huge names venturing into the OTT world. “Today we see biggest stars across the world venturing into the OTT platform either by acting in it or producing for it. Even the rules of stardom have been challenged like never before. Stars can no more dish out the same formula and rely on it," she commented. "No matter how big a star you are, if you are being monotonous and are not putting effort to bring out something new, then people today don’t care about your image. They move on with just a click of a button. The options have increased so much.”

Being a producer, one has a certain level of understanding of the pulse of the audience. When the actor is also a producer, it is common to have conflicts and a clash of ideas. And Farooq acknowledges that. She shared, “The productions that I have been a part of either on television or in films have been very open when it comes to sharing ideas. I won’t say that I am someone who would blindly surrender to someone else’s vision especially when I feel that there are certain questionable areas. Sometimes, you share an idea based on your own experience that you bring to the set and sometimes your vision is corrected based on your team’s experience. So it’s two-way traffic. At the end of the day, no one should go back home sulking.”