Pakistani pop prince calls the shots

Dubai: Bollywood actor Ali Zafar shot to instant fame with his satire Tere Bin Laden but says he has voluntarily bowed out of the sequel. He will do a cameo only.

“It was left to my discretion entirely,” said Zafar in an interview with tabloid! after a phone-in interaction with his fans organised by telephone operator du last week.

In his 2010 debut film, the Pakistani pop sensation played a scheming journalist, who desperate for a US permit, pretends to find the late Al Qaida founder for a scoop.

“I told him [director Abhishek Kapoor] that I would want to do a cameo instead of the main role. I cannot speak about what happened at length but it was mutually decided since there are other films going on for me and it was the right thing to do,” said Zafar.

Currently riding high after the positive response from his latest romantic comedy, London Paris New York, Zafar is now busy working on projects including Chashme Buddoor. A re-make of the 1981 classic by the same name, the comedy is directed by slapstick king David Dhawan.

‘New me’

“With this, you will get to see a new David Dhawan. He’s kept the humour alive along with high entertainment value. It’s an out and out commercial film but you will see a new me,” said Zafar.

His burgeoning fan base was evident from the phone-in interaction with du subscribers. Last Thursday, an hour-long slot was opened to his fans so that they could chat with him.

“It was an amazing experience touching base with all my fans. I wish there was more time. There were no weird questions just people shivering after hearing my voice. It was a humbling experience,” said Zafar. The actor spoke to 30 fans in that hour.

“An actor is never invincible, it’s his work that makes him big in the eyes of his fans. I want my work to do the talking,” said Zafar.