The voice at the other end of the phone line is feeble, almost diffident.
But Arshad Khan, also known as Pakistan’s ‘hot chaiwala’ or tea vendor gains a grip on this conversation when asked what he intends to do with the windfall money from his new found fame.
Khan is one of 2016’s biggest social media discoveries.
Three months ago, an Islamabad-based photographer, Jiah Ali, took a “random picture” of him pouring tea from a metallic kettle at a Sunday bazaar in Pakistan. His piercing green eyes and his floppy mop of silky brown hair was an instant hit after she uploaded it on her Instagram account. That picture racked up 33,000 likes since its upload on October 14, triggered thousands of syrupy admiring comments and began trending globally.
“I have a dream that I should reach a position where I can build a school for poor children where they can study for free. For those who do manual labour, I want to create jobs so that they don’t have to go through any hardships while working,” said Khan in an exclusive interview with Gulf News tabloid!.
His determination was palpable when he said those words, a quality that was missing during most part of the interview. He was raw and vulnerable. Or maybe, the 17-year-old lad was spent after stepping into a gym for the first time in his life. “Some chest exercises,” he mumbled when asked about his gym debut.
Khan doesn’t own a mobile phone and the call had to be routed through his new manager. But not owning a phone hasn’t stood in the way of him signing on his first feature film Kabeer, likely to be filmed in Pakistan, Dubai and London. This year also saw him making his catwalk debut at the Bridal Couture Week in Pakistan and also appearing in a music video.
“It feels amazing. This is what I call kismet [destiny] and its hand at play. I never thought I would be famous overnight,” said Khan. His dreams of building a school in his community stems from his own experience of being denied an education and even hopes that he would be able to study someday.
He comes from a family of 19 members who live as a joint family. His household is traditional and steeped in patriarchy.
“Male members work and the women stay at home. My father and we brothers do the manual labour,” said Khan, who is now working hard for his first movie role. According to reports, he will be playing the lead actor’s brother.
“In the beginning, my family was a bit worried about all the attention that I was getting. But now they are just happy for me… Only after the photograph became popular, did my family notice that I was handsome to the rest of the world,” said Khan.
He turns coy when he speaks about how he was thrust into the limelight and had to ward off multiple requests for selfies by women. His entourage handles requests for selfies.
Khan travels with an entourage of four people to take care of his new success. An official manager, a personal assistant, an adviser and a tour manager make up his team.
Even his uncle from Karachi is a part of his inside circle.
“I am putting him through language classes for Urdu. His team is supporting him wholly. We have created a viable working model,” said Fahim Ali, adding that his teammates were all businessmen.
Khan is currently on a robust diet of Pakistani feature films including Waar, Main Hoon Shahid Afridi and Actor In Law. They want him to familiarise himself with the world of films before his acting debut with Kabeer, which might even see him travel to the UAE for a filming schedule.
“I have never been there but I have seen pictures of it. It’s a beautiful city and I have always wanted to come there… In the beginning, I used to find it difficult to face the camera or walk down the runway. But now I have learnt to enjoy it,” said Khan, adding that he cannot reveal details.
His words come haltingly and when in doubt he hands over the phone to his manager who is explaining my questions in Urdu.
So what did the manager see in him?
“If Arshad Khan works hard, performs well on camera and goes to the gym, he has the potential to be a huge brand name. We all know there have been many people like him, for example, Justin Bibis, who couldn’t sustain the fame,” said Ali.
He was alluding to the two teenage Pakistani sisters who became an internet sensation when a video of them singing Justin Bieber’s song Baby, with their mother drumming on a pot, went viral in 2015. However, their popularity waned all too soon.
His fears aren’t entirely unfounded.
UAE’s image consultants also believe that he has to have it in him to keep the attention.
“These days, social media can either make or break an individual. But how long will this last till another social media sensation arrives in the scene? I have always believed that what climbs the mountain too fast also slips the mountain that fast,” said Shawn Stephens, a Luxury PR consultant.
“Don’t get me wrong. He is an attractive young man and the universe is right now on his side, but how long can he sustain and make the best of what destiny has offered him, we will have to wait and watch,” he added.
Dipesh Depala, managing partner of The Qode, a Dubai-based brand management and PR company, says Khan’s overnight fame is just of the many instances.
“Such transformations happen all over the world — whether it’s a teenager who uploads his music on the internet. This is indicative of the times about the clout of social media and the spread that it has. The impact is much stronger now,” said Depala. But his words come with a warning. With such radical discoveries, subjects often forget to think for themselves.
“He must surround himself with the people he trusts. It’s open season for people who want to take advantage of him. Through that network, he needs to identify professionals with good track records. He needs to take things slowly and not be caught up in the hoopla created by people surrounding him. It may be hit and miss. But the key is that he needs to think for himself,” said Depala.
Tehzeeb Ahmad of Dubai’s Buzzy Bee Communications, adds that the real test is if Khan wants it all badly enough.
“Without the right guidance and education there is a chance that his fame will be short-lived and more than that his place in a very temporary spotlight can truly play with his emotions and create a false sense of reality. The question to really ask is what happens when the fame smoke settles — and it most likely will — can he settle back into the life of an ordinary man once more or are we looking at just another Jugal Hansraj,” said Ahmad.
