Class of 2022: Actors that ruled the year alongside mainstays

From Ali Junejo to Zaviyar Ejaz, the year was full of promising young talent that is here to stay

A fresh batch of actors getting a chance to act in leading roles, let alone give performances to be remembered for a lifetime is a rare occurrence in our local industry. Especially when the producers don't risk casting anyone aside from the mainstays Mahira Khan, Humayun Saeed, Mehwish Hayat, Sajal Aly, Fahad Mustafa and other bigwigs.

However, 2022 was a big year for Pakistani showbiz. Not only because of the blockbuster film The Legend of Maula Jatt and Saim Sadiq’s Oscar-worthy Joyland but because it saw filmmakers bring new faces to the screens alongside the mainstays – and they delivered!

From Ali Junejo’s raw emotions in Joyland to Zaviyar Ejaz’s wit and passion in Sang-e-Mah, here’s a list of actors that etched their place in the hearts of critics and audiences alike and stood out for standing at par with, if not overshadowing, the big names.

Ali Junejo

Who knew a theatre artist from Karachi with no social media presence will take centre stage in a Punjabi-language Cannes-winning film? Not Ali Junejo for sure. The actor not only won praise for his acting from global publications such as Variety and The Guardian but also won the Honourable Mention Award at the São Paulo International Film Festival.

The Express Tribune thought Ali as Haider had an eternal insignificance on screen with the dedication and discipline of a veteran. The way he juggled his life in between hell and heaven with no hope for either was truly magnificent to be played with only a handful of close-ups and no conventionally loud confrontations.

Another thing people don’t know is that Ali did not know how to dance until this film – which is ironic since his character is a background dancer in the film. That tells how his hard work rightly brought him to the spotlight through the film!

Hamza Khawaja

It’s not every day that a fitness trainer who aspires to be a model gets to romance Saba Qamar on the big screen and find chemistry so electric that it creates instant sparks. You can call him biased but director Sarmad Khoosat found the energy so palpable between his Kamli leads that he called Saba and Hamza the “perfect example” of chemistry two actors should have as a couple.

Hamza’s Amaltas was in tune with nature and his emotions and the actor did not shy away from letting his desire for love and lusts embody his persona in the film. The actor is open to future projects and we can’t wait!

Khushhal Khan

Khushhal Khan’s journey from the controversial Midsummer Chaos to Ek Hai Nigar and Saboor Aly starrer Mushkil is definitely the highlight of the year. The blue-eyed actor, who has fancied being an actor since the age of 9, told Urdu News how he maneuvered his way into showbiz while hailing from a family with no artistic pursuits.

“No one in my family has ever been part of or in any way, connected to the entertainment industry. And I didn't have the money to get admission to an acting school. So, everything I know, I just learned on my own. I started with modelling and when an opportunity arrived, I auditioned to be an actor,” shared Khushhal.

He also revealed that he’ll be next seen in a romantic comedy film titled Popay Ki Wedding.

Rasti Farooq

Amidst all the male talent emerging this year, Rasti Farooq as Mumtaz in Joyland was the only female actor that wowed the audiences. Saim in a conversation with Variety revealed that he had worked with Rasti back in LUMS and she was the first person to have read the script of the Cannes winner. However, he shared the script with her as a friend and little did she know that she’d become one of the actors with the most diverse emotive palette in the country.

Although Rasti’s character Mumtaz dies in the film, she manages to immortalise her character through the dynamic range of emotions that she delivers like muscle memory. The Express Tribune called her sublime yet wild existence a master class in subtlety, which only those who have lived and died multiple times with the script can imbibe.

Zaviyar Ejaz

This one comes with a tag of nepotism for being the son of veteran actor Naumaan Ijaz. The tag seemed valid when he was introduced to the small screen in a project that starred industry’s veterans Samiya Mumtaz, Sania Saeed, his own father and more but all doubts were resolved the moment he gave his own hit show.

Zaviyar, the handsome hunk that he is with his sharp jawline and a moustache, has created a name for himself with his acting, especially in the Yumna Zaidi starrer Bakhtawar. Social media is all praises for the kind of diverse roles he selects. The actor has proven that he can be a romantic hero and a convincing antagonist at the same time. Looking forward to his many avatars in the upcoming year – and hopefully not just on the small screen.

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