Moazzam Ali Khan as Seth Fareed will be remembered for a long long time.
Every once in a few years comes an actor who has a mysterious past, manages to make a mark in whatever he does, and is, in fact, carrying over a legacy that many don’t know about. Moazzam Ali Khan, who plays Sarah Khan and Ameer Gilani’s father in Sabaat, Mohammad Ahmed’s Samdhi, and Mawra Hocane’s father in law, is one such individual.
From the very first scene of Sabaat where he narrated his struggles to his wife played by Leyla Zuberi to the ones in the latest episode, he has been a revelation. The way has delivered dialogues, his expressions and the way he has moved around during scenes shows that he knows what he is doing. But this is the first time he has ever faced the camera as an actor, and that’s what boggles all who have been bowled over by his performance.
Spotlight decided to take a trip down the memory lane with Moazzam Ali Khan and find out about his glorious past, his amazing ancestry and above all, where was he hiding before Sabaat.
You act like a seasoned campaigner, your movements have been perfect in front of the camera and you look like the father (at times) we all want in our lives. Where have you been hiding all this time?
I never thought that I could act, that’s why never ventured into acting (Laughs). I spent the initial part of my career in advertising and after twelve years in advertising, switched to Public Relations (PR) and Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) when I joined Ufone for five years. Although I wanted to open my own advertising agency at one time, but then realized that working in an agency and running one are two different things. That’s why I loved it at Ufone where, as Head of PR and CSR, I had a freehand and I managed to bag the first APNS Presidential Award for Public Relations in the private sector and also bagged the first-ever award for CSR activity for Ufone, a feat I am very proud of.
Afterward, I spent a few years in Dubai where I dabbled in PR Consultancy in Real Estate and after a couple of years returned to Pakistan. Here out of the blue, a friend of mine Nisar Tehrani approached me for an acting gig and I told him that since I have never acted in my life and might have trouble remembering lines, I would only make him look bad. But he was adamant and believed that the role was a strong one and I looked the part. I went to HUM TV, gave an audition, and came back, wondering what to do next when after a few weeks, I was informed that I was selected to play the father in Sabaat. I was shocked at first but since I was to work mostly with Leyla Zuberi whom I knew, I went ahead and I can say that it has turned to be a great experience for me.
It has been a great experience for us … but first thing’s first. Your father Nawabzada Musharraf Ali Khan and mother Mumtaz Parveen acted occasionally, your brother is a leading music composer. What kept you away from joining mainstream acting?
Well, my father acted in Sunehre Din on the insistence of Shoaib Mansoor and Mohsin Ali, legendary PTV directors. My mother Mumtaz Parveen and Shoaib Mansoor were once colleagues in PTV as she had done MA in Fine Arts and joined the set designing department for a short period of time. That’s where my father and mother met Shoaib Mansoor. After years Shoaib sb offered the drama to my father which initially he refused saying that he can’t act but he kept insisting, and finally he got convinced and acted in Sunehre Din, it was because of the fact that the house that was shown as his character’s, was actually ours.
The legendary director used my parents to play the leading lady’s parents and it was shot in our house to accommodate my father’s schedule. My mother then played Begum Rana Liaquat Ali Khan in Jinnah Se Quaid e Azam but even then I wasn’t inclined towards acting.
The late Tariq Aziz was my father’s friend whereas legendary Mehdi Hassan, Iqbal Bano, Gul Bahar Bano, Agha Nasir late Moin Akhtar, and many others all used to visit our place and we had social gatherings at our place. My younger brother Abbas Ali Khan was always into music and that’s why we all encouraged him. He not only trained under late Ustad Fateh Ali Khan but is currently one of the leading music producers in the country.
As for me, although I wasn’t too keen to attend these parties, as I was very young and didn’t realize the value of spending time with these legends but meeting all those legendary people and stars somehow stayed back with me and subconsciously shaped my personality.
Your great grandfather Nawabzada Liaquat Ali Khan was not just the first Prime Minister of Pakistan but also one of the pioneers of the country. Usually, people belonging to a political dynasty go for politics and you had all the more reasons. Why didn’t you?
First of all, I will not call it a political dynasty as the only person in my family who succeeded in politics was my great grandfather. My grandfather who was Liaquat Ali Khan’s eldest son from his first wife (Jahangira Begum), who also happened to be a Nawabzadi and also first cousin of Liaquat Ali Khan.
Nawab Wilayat Ali Khan did venture into politics but faded away after suffering from paralysis and taking time off to recover. My father’s uncle Akbar Liaquat did follow them but didn’t stay in politics for too long and that’s how the family of Pakistan’s first Prime Minister quit politics. My father was never keen on anyone’s entering politics and although I had a lot of offers, he was always against it. At that time I didn’t understand his logic but now I do because the politics of today is not my kind of thing.
For me, everything is black and white whereas politics is anything but that. You never know when I decide to go into politics but that would be for a good cause only; to help people and not to help myself.
Sabaat doesn’t seem like your first play; how did you manage to blend in and steal the limelight from Mawra Hocane, Sarah Khan, Leyla Zuberi, Mohammad Ahmed, and Seemi Raheal?
I never acted during my academic years and wasn’t sure whether they would select me after the audition. However, when I did get selected, I used my comfort level with Leyla Zuberi to my advantage and when I got to meet Mawra and Sarah, I was a little concerned since the girls had done so much work on TV and I was a newbie.
But thankfully, I realized that I was neither the hero nor the villain, so I don’t have to worry about my looks, my clothes, and my appearance. That sort of gave me the boost to concentrate on my dialogue delivery and expressions, which I tried to keep as natural as possible. Since I didn’t care where the camera was placed and how I would appear on the screen, I shut that part of acting away and worked as hard as I could.
The trust I put in my director Shahzad Kashmiri and his team helped me a great deal and since I was learning something new every passing day, I was enjoying the exercise. Be it the spot boy or the sound guy, I would try to absorb as much as I could from them, and when the director told me that I was doing well, that was enough for me.
In most of the scenes, I tried to put myself in the character’s shoes and the mannerisms, the dialogue delivery, and the expressions just came out and I am thankful to Allah for blessing me with the talent that I never thought I had. The bottom line for me was that Seth Fareed loves his daughter and doesn’t care about anyone else, and if his daughter is not happy, he is not happy!
My parents who had acted before were also surprised when they saw me on TV and asked me why I wasn’t camera conscious. In their mind, people can’t speak when they are on camera but thankfully I managed to skip that part.
Were you the scheming parent even after the camera closed or did you become friendly with the cast?
Working in Sabaat was a wonderful experience and after the scene was complete, it was party time for all of us. In fact, when we were on location, it seemed that I was Seth Fareed and his whole family was my family. I am exactly opposite of what Seth Fareed is; At times we were laughing out so hard that when we were asked to assemble for the next intense scene, it took us time to return to normalcy.
Which has been your favorite scene in the drama so far?
There was one scene that was most challenging for me but the co-actors made it memorable. I have always been a fan of Mohammad Ahmed sahib and had no clue that he was in the play too when I signed up. The scene where my character had to insult him in his house was challenging for me because first I had to share the screen with him and Seemi ji who are experienced campaigners and secondly, I was very confused and didn’t know how I would perform in front of the veterans. But Mohammad Ahmed sahib is a wonderful guy and he calmed me down by rehearsing with me and assuring me that I would do a great job.
After the scene, he even congratulated me on a job well done and that gave me confidence. It was an intense scene and whoever saw it loved it, and some even congratulated me on the way I managed to stay in character in front of the veterans. It wouldn’t have been possible without the support of Mohammad Ahmed sahib and his kind words boosted my confidence.
We have seen your music videos where you sing or narrate stuff. Has that helped you in your acting?
I have not been classically trained like my brother Abbas but my mother and aunt are very good singers and maybe that’s what inspired me to sing. I have always been a fan of the late Jagjit Singh and whenever I have sung, I have sung his songs and his compositions that suit my style. Like him, I am also a huge Mehdi Hassan fan; as for the narrations, I started that a couple of years back on the insistence of a friend but I was not expecting that they would become viral so quickly.
People started appreciating me from India, America, England, Canada and of course Pakistan, I was surprised myself. And yes, that helped me a lot in my dialogue delivery, and had I not done the narrations, my actions would have been different. When to lower my voice, when to speak in the high pitch and when to take a break, that all came from those narrations. And yes, I still try to sit with my elders who like poetry, so that I can assess their way of speaking, and thanks to my parents, my understanding of Urdu language has improved a lot.
What’s next on your plate now that your fans would want you to appear on screen more and more?
I am one of those people who don’t plan ahead; it might have something to do with some of my plans that didn’t bring out the desired result. For the last few years I have been doing whatever life throws at me and I am thankful to Allah for guiding me. When I was in advertising, I had no clue I could sing; he guided me in that. The same goes for my narration videos and now it’s acting, and people appreciating me. It seems He is taking me from one place to another, and wherever He takes me next, I will gladly go.
Right now I am busy with my Voice Overs in TV commercials but as soon as I get a good offer from either TV or film, I would assess it and if I find it good enough, I would go for it. Good enough for me doesn’t mean working opposite good actors but a good character that helps me explore my talent and also makes me learn new things. I would gladly become a villain or a mafia lord but would not want to restrict my self to hero or heroine’s typical father roles, just because of the age group I’m in and since I am a fresh face in the industry.
As for the singing and narration assignments, I am planning to go abroad for concerts once COVID 19 is over as people from different parts of the world have invited me. So let’s see where it leads!
from HUM TV – Watch Dramas Online https://ift.tt/3jXb7YS
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