Emmad Irfani's surprising connection to Allama Iqbal

In an evening gathering of Virsa Heritage Revived, hosted by Sonya Hussaiyn and Yousaf Salahuddin, a surprising fun fact about Emmad Irfani came to light. Irfani, who was a guest at the show, began by mentioning that every moment spent with Salahuddin is special to him, adding that the two are relatives.

Salahuddin, who is fondly known as Mian Salli, politely cut in. "I'd like to share this one," he declared. "Emmad's great-grandmother was Allama Iqbal's sister."

Salahuddin is an avid contributor of Lahore's literary circle, having devoted his life to the arts. He is also a grandson of the renowned poet, which is the connection that binds him and Irfani by blood.

The socialite famously owns the 370-year-old Barood Khana Haveli. The red-bricked building operated as a stronghold for ammunition like cannons, rifles, and gunpowder in the time of Maharaja Ranjeet Singh. It further played a key role in defending the city by functioning as a corps commander house.

Committed to arts, Salahuddin has repeatedly insisted on bringing new talent to the screen. "The older generation isn't able to experiment and it's time to introduce youngsters in the field," he said in a 2015 interview with The Express Tribune. Applauding the influx of talent in the entertainment industry then, he said, "The fresh lot of actors, including Ali Zafar, Mahira Khan, Humaima Malik and Humayun Saeed, is worth commending, as it has been making efforts to revive the industry."

Meanwhile, Irfani is still riding high after a successful run of Kabhi Main Kabhi Tum. The actor's performance caused a flurry of uproar and praise among fans, as he convincingly portrayed the malicious Adeel who lets greed consume him.

In an interview with Tabish Hashmi, Irfani talked about being typecast in either villainous or affluent roles. "I don't consider this an injustice, rather the work of good luck that I receive such opportunities," he began. "I feel that our goal should be to spend a rich life instead of getting rich. We need to enrich your mindsets, work on ourselves, get educated, and just become better versions of ourselves. According to me, that's what richness is about."

Revealing key insights from the process of creating Adeel, he mentioned that the character sketch entailed self-confidence. "His body language emanated a sense of being self-centred and superior to everyone else," Irfani said. "So when I read that, I immediately began wondering how I could give this a unique touch that would make him stand apart from everyone else." This led to him incorporating subtle elements like suspenders as part of the character's wardrobe, he explained.

The Tawaan actor confessed that he can be very critical of himself when it comes to acting, often falling prey to regrets about how he should have executed a role differently. He believes that the term "struggling actor" is limitless, as those challenges can never fully be eliminated.

As someone who has modelled before, he spoke about what it has been like turning to acting. "Honestly, in the beginning of the transition, I did face some difficulties. That's because of how differently an actor presents their voice, body language, eyes and especially the expressions. You have to bring all these factors in and be very in control of your senses. No matter what field you go into, you steadily learn its tricks and hacks," he said.

"Everyone's journey is their own. It's merely a process that you undergo, only after which you learn new things. I believe that progress is the result of better judgement, and better judgement is the result of experience, and experience only comes from making mistakes," Irfani eloquently advised.