From working in the Pakistani television industry to making his big Bollywood debut this Friday, the actor has come a long way. When we caught up with Fawad Khan about his big release we felt that the literally Khoobsurat actor had his guards up unlike his co-star Sonam Kapoor who doesn’t care much for politically correct statements. Nevertheless, the gorgeous FK (as Sonam fondly calls him) made some revelations about his personality, his opinion on the concept of promoting films rigorously and how dancing is an absolute nightmare for him. Excerpts…
How do you find Bollywood different from the working space you have come from?
I think Bollywood as an industry has more than a hundred years of experience behind it. Other than that the reason why I really can’t comment on the differences is because I haven’t engaged in the recent second wave of Pakistani cinema. I’ve done mostly television back home.
You have done a variety of roles in your career so far. Any specific kind of role you want to do in the future?
As far as roles are concerned I would like to attack any new role that comes my way. I don’t want to get pigeon-holed into one stereotype. I don’t want to get typecast; I want to try different things out. Whatever comes my way, if is interesting I’d like to take it up but not just for the sake of being different.
What’s the scariest thing about being popular?
That people are watching your every move…Scrutiny is the biggest fear.
You got married quite early on in your life; how does your wife deal with the female fan following?
She is very supportive.
You always seem calm, composed and in-control. Is there another side to you we don’t know of?
Well I used to play in a metal band, so that is the other side… I do fall under that stereotype; I was a hardcore rebel at heart. We were a rebellious bunch of guys who though that we can change the mindset of people or become torch-bearers of change by introducing a new kind of music and education in the lyrics, which was very aspirational of us at the age of 20. So at that time I had a very bad temper I used to shout…
Do you still have a bad temper?
No, I lost it. I have become exhausted over the years and my learning and observation over the years has increased. So now if I come across someone whom I have a point of difference with, who I feel is being unfair to me I bear it and then I move on and never come back. So, that’s more interesting game-play. If it happens with people that I work with, I’ve made a commitment and I follow through on it but then once it’s over I have a choice to come back or not. That is now my way of expressing anger or disappointment rather than being blunt.
You’ve been a singer and played for a band; can we expect you to sing for a movie?
I don’t know about singing or music whether or not I’ll be going back to it because my history with music (whatever it has been), has suffered a very long period of silence and the kind of music that I am into isn’t that mainstream. So the day I am well-off to support music as a hobby, that’s the day I’ll go back to it. But with music I wouldn’t want to taint it with the idea that ‘I have to sell this’ I would rather just make it and even if nobody wants to listen to it I’d be okay with it. For now I am not looking at music so seriously but when I do then I’ll be on a bit of a vacation from acting…
After Khoobsurat, would you go back to doing television shows in Pakistan?
Depends. I don’t think so, for a while at least I’ll try to stick to cinema for as long as the audience can bear me but I do feel that if you take what you learn from films back to television you can make an enormous difference in the content in the screenplay and how it’s being made and shown to people. I think I want to be a part of that change in television because it has hit a bit of a watershed and it needs to expand its horizon beyond what it is currently, it needs to dabble in other genres.
So do you see that change happening in Pakistani television anytime soon?
Yes, it is going to happen very soon because there is now going to be a constant tug of war between cinema and television because when you are in a population of that size (unlike India where the population is so big that the outreach and market for both TV and movies is huge), the competition is tougher. That’s where you can see massive improvement in a very short period of time.
So coming back to Khoobsurat, can you tell us three things we don’t know about Sonam?
She is a great person to hangout with. She is a really great host, really well-behaved, knows how to make you feel comfortable. She is really warm at heart.
There were rumours about you doing a film with Kareena Kapoor Khan, is that true?
No, I don’t think so.
Do you ever feel insecure when you see the number of films that are churned out by Bollywood ever Friday?
All actors are insecure, that is nothing to be ashamed of. As far as that insecurity taking over you is concerned, I don’t think I am that insecure. I’d like to keep myself above such things and I think I am above such things. Because it’s fair game; fair competition. You have made a film you have control over that, now how the audience responds to it… you can make a prediction about that. In Bollywood, as far as I have observed, the content is designed for the audience as against just making something and throwing it out to see how people respond to it. There is a slight bit of prediction but beyond that I think it’s beyond your control. So if a film goes out and it doesn’t do well amongst other films then so be it…
Then how important are these promotions in helping a film work?
Well I am completely clueless about that because I am completely new to this whole promotion thing. I have never done any promotions back home. Although wahan pe bhi promotions hoti hain, but I have a different point of view on that but I guess it’s different, marketing obviously is an art. I don’t know that art. This is my first wave of promotions and I am actually learning what it does and what kind of effect it has on people…
Does it bug you?
Well obviously, I am a bit of a lazy bear so I would like to chill after the film. But there are interesting things about promotions that pop up like meeting new people, giving an interview or talking to someone new, there can be entertaining conversations that you can look forward to. But ya it is hectic and chaotic, our sleep cycles have been completely inverted altogether. So ya I am from that school of thought who after a film is done is like ‘Ya, we’ve done it, you watch it if you like it, you like it. If you don’t like it (shrugs)’
On a lighter note, we wanted to know how was it shooting for Ma Ka Phone considering its different from your character in the film?
It’s a dream that Mili is having. I have broken the princely posture to a certain extent and these guys on a day’s notice managed to make me dance which is actually the most disturbing part for me. Although there is nothing too much in it but for me dance is like rubbing my tummy and head simultaneously.