Yasir Nawaz takes a creative detour

Director talks about working with family and how his debut film Dekh Magar Pyar Se augurs well for Pakistani cinema

KARACHI:

Model-turned-actor and now director Yasir Nawaz aims to be an all-rounder. With major productions lined up to release this Eid season, he aims at exhibiting his debut feature film Dekh Magar Pyar Say on the cinema screens by March end.

Discussing his novice project as a filmmaker, he says, “It’s a cinema feature film. It is tentatively titled Dekh Magar Pyar Se and will be a commercial film. Naach gaana hona chahiye.” He feels that the entertainment quotient of the Pakistani film industry is low. “We have already dealt with mainstream issues and serious subjects in our movies. Now, it’s time to stress on entertainment,” he comments. He attempts to change that with his film. “My film is a romantic comedy with dance and excitement.”  The film’s cast includes Danish Taimoor, Sohai Ali Abro, Janita, Javed Shiekh and Shafqat Cheema.



While Yasir lauds the efforts being made towards reviving Pakistani cinema, he feels there is room for improvement. “I think it will take six more years to declare that we are on to the road to revival,” he stated. “Our cinema must make a place for itself internationally. I would earnestly urge the crowds to support local movies.”

Of his television debut in the mid-1990s, he shares, “Besides TV, I didn’t have another option to start with. One of my brothers had become an engineer and another was pursuing a medical degree. At that time, TV used to offer less money because we only had two channels at the time, the state-run PTV and the private STN.” Yasir’s father, the late actor Fareed Nawaz Baloch, wanted him to pursue a career in the police force, but realised his son had the aptitude for acting.

The multi-talented Yasir is driven by his knack for adapting to changing trends of the industry and credits his success to it. “I was confident about my observational skills and I believed that they, alone, would hone my acting ability,” he states. “I started getting work quickly and it kept progressing over the time.”

Yasir belongs to a family of television luminaries; his brother Danish often plays comic characters on the screen, his wife Nida is an actor and a morning-show host, and his father-in-law is known director-producer Kazim Pasha. But he never depended on his family to give him a shot at stardom. “The best thing about this field is that if you have talent, you shine on your own. A talented person needs no one’s support.”

He wishes to impart liberal arts education to his children if they wish to pursue a career in the field. “When I was young, parents didn’t think it was suitable for us to be taught media studies. But now, I want my children to be trained in media sciences from abroad. They must study filmmaking from a foreign country if they are interested in the subject,” he says.

Yasir with wife Nida

Yasir, who has previously worked with Nida and Danish, states that working with family is no easy feat. “When we work together, we fight a lot. So, I prefer working separately.” Proud of his family’s accomplishments, he states, “There is no competition between us since we are family. Also, we excel at diverse genres. Nida is primarily a host, Danish is into comedy roles, and I’m involved with directing plays.” 

Published in The Express Tribune, January 23^rd,  2015.

Like Life & Style on Facebook, follow @ETLifeandStyle on Twitter for the latest in fashion, gossip and entertainment.