‘I always loved the art of storytelling’
Garavi Gujarat caught up with Pakistani actor Ahad Raza Mir to discuss his journey, inspirations, musical side, fan base and passions.
How do you look back on your journey as an actor?
When I look back at my life, I reflect on it differently than I did the year before. With every bit of success, achievement, and failure, you learn a lot and reflect differently. In the beginning of my career, I knew how difficult it was, so it was all about working and getting to know the craft. So, that hunger is there in the beginning to just work. With time, the method of how you approach characters and acting changes with the work you start doing. I think with time as I became more suc cessful, I became more selective about work. Which of your characters is closest to your heart?
It’s an unfair question because they are all close to my heart for differ ent and sometimes similar reasons. They have also challenged me in some way. I’ve been lucky enough to do things that have been com pletely different from each other, but still tell compelling stories. Cer tain characters hit you differently and certain sets also affect you dif ferently, so there’s no way I could say a favorite. But I think my least favorite would be the most challenging ones.
What do you mean?
In the sense that I would leave the set and the character would still come home with me. I think the biggest problem with every role is letting go of them. Not in the sense that I’m going home in character, but you live someone else’s life 10-12 hours a day. You start to think, dress, and speak like them. When the show is over, you have to essentially kill them and that’s a very painful process.
What kind of projects are you looking for?
I think it’s just anything that inspires me. I can usually tell by the first meeting, pitch or description of a story if it’s for me or not. I’m looking for things that I would like to watch and don’t think too much about anything else. I guess sometimes I think about if somebody else played this character, would I want to see that version or my interpretation. I also look for stories that mean something and people will remember.
Why do you love being an actor?
First, I love cinema, television, and theatre. Whether it’s on the stage, at home watching TV or on the big screen, I’ve aways loved the art of storytelling. I think it’s incredible that a huge team comes together to create this thing for you to watch. It’s wonderful getting to be part of something like that. Second, without sounding grim, it is nice to take a break from your own life.
Would you like to give a message to your fans?
Yes, of course! I love them very much and am so grateful for their endless love and support, which I don’t know if I’ll ever be able to repay. People enjoying your work is one thing, but then the amount of appreciation and love I get outside of work makes me feel like I must have done something good in a previous life or something. My fans are just incredible and such gentle human beings. Thank God for things like Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook, because it gives them and me an outlet to appreciate one another.