I faced no challenges and I’m very grateful: Aashir Wajahat opens up on acting career

Amidst the constellation of renowned names and emerging talents in Pakistan's vibrant showbiz landscape, Aashir Wajahat has begun making a name for himself within the industry. A pivotal turning point in his burgeoning career arrived with the release of John, where he showcased his versatility and captured the audiences' hearts in a role that marked his foray into the realm of lead roles. 

Aashir is the son of Shazia and Wajahat Rauf, producer and director, respectively. In an interview with Hello Pakistan, Aashir spoke about his career thus far and his future aspirations. About his recent film John, in which he was the lead actor, the 20-year-old said, “[John] was a very important project for my career and an extremely interesting one as well.” He added that his experience shooting the film “altogether was brilliant.”

When asked about the script of John and why he agreed to it, he said, “I loved the story itself. Plus, being offered the main title character of the film is obviously a huge honour. The character of John itself, those who have seen the movie will also notice, is very interesting. He doesn’t say much, but he emotes himself a lot through his eyes and expressions. As an actor, this gave me a lot of margin.”

Since it was Aashir’s first time working opposite Romaisa Khan, he commented on his experience, saying, “She is a very, very dear friend and a phenomenal actor. When you have that good of an actor opposite you, it gives you the incentive to perform better as well.”

Aashir also opened up about how his experience in the industry has been considering his parents are well known names. He said, “I have been very privileged in this regard because I’ve had my parents to guide me throughout the way and a lot of people to support me, so as of such, I faced no challenges and I’m very grateful.” He further added that the challenges he did face were of a different nature. 

"The challenges I think I have faced though is when you start acting at a very early age, there comes a time in between where you’re not an adult nor a youngster. At that point, it gets very difficult to get work. Secondly, there is a lot of competition. It wasn’t a challenge, but I just wanted to do something different - that will make you stand out because there are so many good actors out there. So, it is important you do meaningful work, and through that, you build an audience that is unique.”

Further commenting on his talent as an actor in light of him being the son of two celebrated names, he said, “This journey is forever a learning curve; the minute I think I know it all is exactly when I know I’ve lost. I will try to improve with every project and just hope the masses like my talent and acknowledge that I am their son but [keep] in mind [that] my talent is separate from the latter.”

About his next steps after John, the young star said, “Whatever God has planned for me. We had a screening for John in LA, so the hype for John is still very much around and I’m immersed in that. Next would be a TV play, I’m in talks for one or two projects. My aim is to always do something a little different. I really wanted to do another play after Chand Tara, so let’s see.”

Have something to add to the story? Share it in the comments below