Would have never cast Moin Akhtar in my film: Anwar Maqsood

What veteran satirist’s upcoming film entails for Pakistani cinema

KARACHI:

“Absolutely not. He would hijack each and every role … from the boy to the girl to the phuppi jaan and even the singer!”

This was said by veteran satirist, playwright Anwar Maqsood when asked whether he’d fancy roping in longtime confidant and collaborator Moin Akhtar, had he been alive, for his upcoming film. “You know he often writes a letter to me every second day from up there, telling me how this film will be a hit without him!” he quipped to The Express Tribune. There is no doubting Maqsood sorely misses the late actor and comedian with whom he teamed up to form arguably the most formidable TV partnership that lasted for decades. If not Moin, what about Bushra Ansari? “Nahin, wo tou koi aur hi heroine ban jaye gi.” (No, she would transform into another heroine altogether.)



Over the years, Maqsood has become a reclusive man. He rarely makes a TV appearance. The last we saw of him was in Coke Studio, the show helmed by his son Bilal Maqsood and bandmate Faisal Kapadia. Then what exactly forced him to take up pen and paper, this time for a cinematic venture? “Exactly the way Dawar Mehmood was after me for a stage play, Roy used to turn up at my door every second day, insisting that I should write a film for him.” The film that must not be named, he insisted, is a joint project by Roy and ad film director Faisal Qureshi. “Ahsan Rahim is going to direct the film,” Maqsood added.



Despite giving in to Roy’s demands, the legendary writer did not come easy. “I told them prior to writing the script that no item number will be included in the film and Roy agreed.” Maqsood goes on, “It might happen live [at the theatres] but not on screen!” He said this doesn’t mean the rom-com will have no music. “In India, item numbers are always included in films. However, they are unveiled in a decent way. That is not the case here. They are not acceptable for our societal values and norms.” Citing the example of Pakistani news channels, he said, “What can one say about news channels that infuse news bulletins with songs.”



When asked whether he plans to build on his legacy of TV plays and shows with the film, he said, “Films require dialogues which are not said [in many films] the way they should be. My characters will deal with them very differently. The storyline is fairly simple, just like my earlier writings Colony 52 and Aangan Terha. These are all stories of everyday life in cities.” Filming for the project will begin in January 2016. “Logon ko pasand aye gi!”

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If things go as Maqsood foresees, he plans to write more films. “Absolutely yes … but now I will write a political film titled Badiannti Intikhabaat and not Baldiati Intikhabaat,” he added.

Published in The Express Tribune, November 7^th, 2015.

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