Actor, model, and producer Hareem Farooq hasn’t been around for a long time — her first TV serial, titled Mausam, happened only about four years ago.
Before that, she appeared in a meagre-budgeted indie film, Siyaah (2013), put together by a bunch of friends from amateur theatre in Islamabad. Fortunately for her, the film was picked up by distributors and it opened in select cinemas across the country, to a fair response.
Siyaah had her famously play a psychotic character, which she followed up with meaty parts in drama serials like Diyar e Dil and Sanam. Clearly, it’s her training in theatre that gave Farooq the confidence to make unconventional career choices. Where most girls her age would be playing pretty-young-things in films or TV shows, Farooq was busy lapping up a proscenium audience’s claps and cheers for the grey-haired, sharp-tongued Jahan Ara Begum she pulled off impeccably in noted director Dawar Mahmood’s Aangan Terha.
A graduate in sociology and journalism, Farooq surprised her peers again when she launched her production company, together with Imran Raza Kazmi, with the blockbuster Janaan (2016). Interestingly, she didn’t feel tempted to star in her own movie. To quote her, she has “bigger motives.”
“I want to be the platform or the reason for talented individuals to come into this field,” she tells Gulf News tabloid! in an exclusive interview, close to the UAE release of her latest film, Parchi, where she features alongside Ali Rehman Khan and Usman Mukhtar. Excerpts follow.
You’ve done theatre, you’ve worked on TV, and you’re a model. But, is it fair to say that you are concentrating on films lately?
I’m basically an actor. But production is something that I believe creates opportunities for others and my own self, and also affords you stability for the future. Besides, I don’t want to end up having done just acting. It gives me immense pleasure to think of a time when we’ll be the platform or the reason for talented individuals to come into this field. So, it’s not fair to say that I am concentrating on films, because there are a lot of other things in the bag — I’m starting TV productions soon.
Also, I want to educate people in this profession. Where media is concerned, we lag far behind in comparison to the world. Actually, art has been banned in our country for long, due to political or whatever reasons. Now is the time when we can restart the process and bring people back to the fold.
I see the trend changing. There was a time when people had lost respect for this profession; not anymore. It’s rewarding in a way, because you are part of the progression. When somebody says you are their inspiration for joining the industry — be it in front of the camera or behind it — that for me will be the moment of pride and gratitude, because it’s something I am striving for.
When and how did you think about producing a film [Janaan]? You didn’t star in it, which is a rare thing. How did you fight the temptation?
I am not greedy for being on screen, and I am not hungry for fame or money. There are other, bigger motives behind what I do: I don’t want to die having given nothing back to the society. I believe that when you are doing something, it shouldn’t be just for yourself, it should have some impact on the world, even after you are gone.
Imran Raza Kazmi, a childhood friend who is like a brother from another mother, has a huge part to play in this. When I was acting on stage also, I knew that one day I’d set up my own production company, but it was going to be after 10 or 15 years. You can say that Imran pulled me into it. For his second production, Janaan, he came up to me and said, ‘We’ve a very strong relationship of trust, why don’t we join hands in production.’ I said, ‘OK, let’s.’ And that’s it.
The reason why I didn’t feature in the film was because I wanted to learn production and not lose focus. So, it was a very conscious decision. It’s not like we don’t think about other actors when casting for our own production; we actually sit down and brainstorm on actors. The character that I play in Parchi, Eman, was something the whole team decided that I take up. And I jumped to it, because I loved the character.
Your character in Parchi — a badass lady gangster — was expected to break certain stereotypes for women in our films. Sadly, it too ended up being too fixed on looking pretty, singing songs, and dancing etc. How do you view it?
Let me tell you what we wanted to achieve: Eman is a badass girl, and a strong woman, but she also has an emotional side to her. She’s human, after all. So, it wasn’t stereotypical.
Secondly, she wears very basic makeup. It’s just kajal [eyeliner]. We wanted to retain a certain rawness about her. It turned out really good on screen.
Did you have a look test for your role?
We did, actually. We took our time designing the look of each character. In Eman’s case, it was a conscious decision to let go of jeans and bandanas etc, and opt for shalwar kameez.
Why is looking pretty or young not a concern for theatre actors but when they work on camera it’s suddenly a priority?
I disagree with you, because even on TV I’ve done young-to-old characters — in Diyar e Dil, for instance, and despite everyone telling me that it would be a career suicide. I was playing mother to Osman Khalid Butt who is actually a few years older to me. But it’s a brilliant character, and I didn’t want to lose it.
Diyar e Dil happens to be one of my most memorable projects. I was highly appreciated for it by my fans.
To cut the long story short, I’m going to take my chances because I am trained in theatre, and again, I don’t care for stereotypes. Also, I believe that when you are not willing to take risks, that’s suicidal for your career.
Looking pretty is a requirement of theatre as well as camera. But it should be within your character/role. Otherwise, love yourself, and take good care of yourself.
You’ve been quite vocal about how you were fat-shamed, and how you transformed yourself [shed 35kg] to improve your self-image. Isn’t it a sign of weakness — that you had to conform to the parameters set by the world?
Not at all. Fat-shaming was an issue that I highlighted; it was not the reason for me to shed those kilos. When I spoke about it, I was already on my way to transforming myself.
Also, as an actor, my job is to transform; if I need to gain 30kg for a character, I will do that, without harming my health. Let me tell you, I once had a car accident, and for a year and half I couldn’t do anything; I couldn’t gym, I couldn’t exercise.
Coming back to Parchi, what exactly prompted its idea?
This was a concept that Azfar [Jafri] and Imran [Raza Kazmi] came up with, years ago. It evolved, a lot. It was basically about four friends but ended up being about a ‘parchi’ [a threatening call for extortion money]. There were a lot of risks we took in a sense; most of them paid off.
There have been mixed reviews on the film. How do you respond to them?
Unfortunately, none of us has studied film — the critics haven’t, the writers haven’t, the actors and directors haven’t. So, let’s all be fair to each other.
I feel that we as a nation have become very negative towards everything, let alone cinema. I won’t say Parchi is a perfect film, but it’s very close to my heart. And it has done well [in Pakistan]; the exhibitors are happy, and the people are happy. As a technical person, as someone who was involved in the project, we see the mistakes, and we take constructive criticism. But I am not going to take any negative criticism that won’t help in my growth.
Parchi is the first Pakistani film ever to be screened in Saudi Arabia. Tell us about the response you’ve got over there.
It was a very proud moment for us as Pakistanis. They had back-to-back houseful shows, people were pouring in like anything. We were [one of the] first film[s] to be screened in Saudi; no Bollywood, no Hollywood. This is just one of the milestones that we’ve achieved.
You didn’t plan a simultaneous world release for the film. Why?
See, there are a lot of technicalities involved, when it comes to a film’s international distribution.
Parchi’s soundtrack became an instant hit, especially Sahara UK’s Billo Hai and Mika Singh’s Imagine. Did you pick these people because of their global audience?
Well, we wanted diversity but also we are great RDB fans. So, we got in touch with Harbeet who was kind enough to support Pakistani cinema, and gave us a revised version of Billo Hai. Again, we got lucky with Mika.
In Parchi, we have introduced a lot of new musicians as well as actors.
Where did you record these tracks? In India, or UK?
Billo Hai was recorded in UK, while Mika recorded his number in India. The title song was done here in Pakistan. We also had a mashup made of Parchi and Billo Hai, by a local DJ.
How do you view the ban on Pakistani artists by Indian Motion Pictures Producers Association?
Honestly, I don’t understand these bans. I am still trying to understand that since when did artists or creative people become a part of political issues? Creativity and politics are two completely different fields, and they should never be merged. If they are, that would be the worst combination, because politics kills creativity.
Tell us briefly about your future projects.
I am currently working on our TV production. There’s a film in the pipeline as well. We hope to start rolling this year. You might also see me on TV and other platforms too.
You are known to be a huge fan of Madhuri Dixit. But you aren’t exactly emulating her in terms of your career choices.
Madhuri is someone I highly admire for her acting skills, for the way she carries herself, and her dance is unmatched. You see her on screen and fall in love with her, no matter what. I also loved Sridevi. I was heartbroken when I heard about her death. As a fan, I feel these two women are irreplaceable. They are institutes — literally. Also, their humility says so much about them.
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Parchi releases in the UAE on March 1.
