“I would love to do Indian shows, provided the script is good,” said Mikaal, who is not new to Bollywood. He worked in Godfather, a collaborative Pakistan-India film, as well as Jag Mundhra’s Shoot on Sight. Indian television is getting bolder, but Mikaal feels he can’t adapt to the trend. “Call me old-fashioned, but I will be hesitant to kiss on-screen,” he said. “It will take some time for the boldness to find a place in Pakistan. At the end of the day, we are an Islamic country and it’s a sensitive topic,” he added.
Ever since Pakistani TV shows have entered Indian households via the Zindagi channel, viewers have latched on to short and crisp dramas revolving around real life. Mikaal holds that it’s time for Indian producers to do away with the ‘larger-than-life’ storyline and focus on realism akin to Pakistani serials.
“Pakistani serials are more inclined towards reality and that’s our strength. It’s not necessary that murder or infidelity will add drama to the serials,” he commented. “In Pakistan, serials narrate small household issues. For instance, it's not necessary that the business deal should be of Rs5 billion, it could be of one million as well. I feel there’s no need to go into such elaborations,” he stated.
Mikaal also feels that Indian television is reflection of Bollywood. “Indian TV is probably influenced by Indian cinema, which is larger-than-life but in the case of Bollywood, such portrayals work. Cinema is to entertain and it exudes a feel-good factor if it is full of songs and dance sequences,” Mikaal said. The actor has also worked in popular Pakistani dramas.
Published in The Express Tribune, December 9th, 2014.
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