There’s a pool of actors reserved for prime slots: Faraz Farooqui

After Aiman and Minal Khan, another pair of identical twins are well on their way to taking over our television screens. Main Agar Chup Hoon actor Hammad Farooqui and Beqadr actor Faraz Farooqui may not be big shots yet. But with a few acting chops in just the right projects, they might become hard to catch. So, before that happens, the duo made an appearance on Time Out with Ahsan Khan to talk about their budding careers, relationship with one another, a debate on love vs arranged marriage and future projects.

Talking about how unusual it was for both of them to venture into the entertainment fraternity together, Faraz recollected how it was actually Hammad who started his acting journey first and he sort of followed suit. “Growing up, my relatives would call me a hero and that would really hype me up,” shared Hammad.

The two initially participated in a reality dance competition called Nachle that was judged by Faysal Quraishi, Reshma and Noor. “The competition ended and almost two months went by without a call. We thought it’s not the time for us and decided to move on when one night, I got a call asking if I’d be interested in some TV work. ‘Of course!’ i said. I didn’t even know what soaps or serials were at the time— the terminologies I wasn't aware of. But it all started from there.”

Upon how Faraz followed in his brother’s footsteps, he shared that at the time, he had started his professional career as an educationist. “I always had that pest inside of me,” chuckled Faraz. “But in 2016, I eventually gave in. I started with minor roles kept flourishing.”

Hammad chimed in, joking, that his brother was always a little jealous of the former’s success and hence, wanted to be in the limelight too. “Why would I be jealous? One would be jealous if they don’t get anything, but I was already at the receiving end of all fame in your name,” added Faraz referring to how they’re identical and people confuse them often.

About twin confusions, host Ahsan Khan, who also has an identical twin, inquired if one had been punished for a trouble that the other created. Hammad instantly recalled how Faraz had once stalked a girl he liked and instead, he got beaten up for it in school by a PE teacher. “Faraz liked this girl in school and one day after class, he went to meet her. The next morning, the girl stood in class with a PE teacher and pointed at me. I was good at cricket so in my head, the PE teacher was approaching me for my athletic skills but he just held me and started beating.”

The two have also used their uncanny resemblance to their advantage. Slight identity thefts seem to be quite common in the duo’s family. “This one time, Hammad had a meeting with another drama production and a shoot scheduled at the same time. I wasn’t in the acting world at the time, so he called me at my office and I actually did the scene instead of him. It’s been years to this and no one noticed,” shared a guilty Faraz.

Hammad has spent a decade in the industry while Faraz has so far given seven years. Both have also had a few modelling gigs in between. Speaking about the struggle of remaining consistent, especially when work doesn’t come very often, Hammad relayed how they both have believed in quality over quantity.

Talking about going up the ladder, Hammad shared, “We don’t have the habit of messaging people for favours. There’s always a risk in that— along with the shyness and awkwardness that comes with it. It also hits your ego if you’ve to nudge friends and the higher ups to find work. But apart from that, the risk is, what if they offer you a storyline that doesn’t align with you? I’d have to do it then. So, we always stayed patient and thankful for whatever came at its own pace.”

The Ishq star also opened up about the systematic hierarchy of the silver screen. “There are certain actors allocated for certain time slots. There’s a pool of actors who’ll only be chosen for prime slots. Then there’s the 7pm slot and the 9pm slot ones.” While the industry has its own system of organised opportunities, Faraz shared that the major power lies in the hands of the audience. “If they like a certain performance, regardless of the time of the show, they can make the actor reach heights, even with a supporting role.”

He also talked about the consequences of nepotism in the field. “Nowadays, there are a lot of faces we see that are heirs of famous actors and directors. They cash in on the fame of their parents, but you know, it's a trend. They’ll come in, buy their fame in but sooner or later, the audience realises that their name is actually just because of their parents and they disappear. We have so many examples.”

Faraz also revealed another interesting insight about Hammad’s love affair from within the industry before marriage. “He was involved with someone [from the industry] and he talked to our family. Our family values didn’t align with the said person so he broke that relationship off, even though I stood by him. Now he’s happily married.”

Khan defended women in the industry by adding that we’ve some exceptional talent amongst us who comes from equally educated and sophisticated backgrounds. Upon what Faraz would’ve done in this situation, he simply concluded that he’d always pick a love marriage over an arranged one.