News Desk |
Veteran film director Syed Noor is opening up about the Pakistani film industry. The director of 90’s films like Jeeva, Sangam, and Choorian has been happy about the resurgence of interest from Pakistani audiences towards Pakistani films but he has had trouble benefiting from the newfound faith in Pakistani films. Speaking at the Sindh film festival at the Institute of Sindhology in Jamshoro, the Majajan helmer stated:
“In our film industry, we don’t have a superstar. We need to have at least three powerful stars to give the boost to films. We have to have stars to keep our films going and only then we will have a star-specific audience.
Current audience visit cinemas for entertainment alone. There was an era when fans used to go to cinemas for films of Waheed Murad, Mohammad Ali, and Nadeem. It is not the case today.”
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He continued ” Humayun Saeed, Fawad Khan, and Ahsan Khan are performing well but they lack star power that was the hallmark of past film stars. They host shows on television and appear in dramas too. We need heroes like Waheed Murad, Mohammad Ali, Nadeem, Shan, Moammar Rana, Ghulam Mohiuddin, and Shahid to give a boost to films.”
However, he did praise Saeed saying it was smart that he had discontinued his work in TV dramas to focus exclusively on movies and becoming a film star. Whether or not what he is saying has any merit, actors he named as lacking star power are currently the biggest names in Pakistan.
Humayun Saeed is among the highest paid TV and film actors in Pakistan, and has starred in and produced the two highest grossing films of all time in Pakistan: Punjab Nahi Jaungi and Jawani Phir Nahi Ani 2.
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Humayun Saeed has established himself as one of the most versatile actors to grace our TV screens and recently with his villainous role in HUM TV’s Udaari, his career has reached new heights. He is next set to star in two of the most anticipated TV series, the Hamza Ali Abbasi, Sajal Ali series Alif as well as the pre-partition ensemble drama Aangan.
Fawad Khan has been noticeably absent from screens since his work in Bollywood was cut short due to the ban on Pakistani actors working there. He made a cameo in Jawani Phir Nahi Ani 2 and hosted Pepsi’s Battle of Bands for two seasons, even flexing his vocal chords in the most recent season to sing an original song.
But while he hasn’t done anything major in the last year or so, he has made enough of an impact on both sides of the border. Deepika Padukone recently admitted that Fawad Khan has the dreamiest eyes, while filmmakers Vishal Bhardwaj and Shonali Bose also lamented over wanting to work with him and appraised his talent.
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In an interview with Bollywood Hungama, actress Parineeti Chopra stated, “I wish I could work with Fawad. He would be such a great hero in our industry. He is so loved here.”
Khan will next appear in Maula Jutt 2 alongside Hamza Ali Abbasi and Mahira Khan on Eidul Fitr 2019.