Exclusive interview with Model/Actor Waseem Manzoor

By Ally Adnan – Photos By Ammar Shareef

Waseem Manzoor plays one of the lead roles in the upcoming feature film, Phida Hussain’s Swaarangi, which marks the return of Resham to the silver screen after an absence of eight (8) years. Waseem’s performance, in a negative role, has impressed veteran co-stars Resham and Ayub Khosa as well as the film’s producer and director. The erstwhile singer and television actor is expected to enter the world of cinema with a bang and is currently contemplating his next career move. In an exclusive interview with Vmag, Waseem talks to Ally Adnan about his career, his friendships, his upcoming feature films, and more.

 1. Your first feature film is all set to be released. How does it feel?
Surreal.
I am happy, anxious, apprehensive, optimistic, nervous and hopeful, all at the same time. A lot has been invested in Swaarangi – time, money, effort, emotion – and the film’s success is very important to me. Pakistani cinema is undergoing a grand revival and I want Swaarangi to be a part of the resurgence of our film industry.

2. What is Swaarangi about?
Swaarnagi is based on actual events. It is a sad and tragic story set in Pakistan’s tribal areas where the strong and the powerful hold all the power and show no regard for law, ethics and morals. It depicts the miserable life and struggles of the weak who live in this patriarchal and cruel society.
The story revolves around a careworn woman, Salma, whose husband is a drug addict and brings great suffering and pain to the lives of those around him. She is surrounded by people who do not want to see the husband recover and add to her troubles and suffering.

3. Tell us about your role in the film.
I play a young man, Zaryab, who has strong feelings, of both love and lust, for Salma. He is a selfish person who wreaks havoc in Salma’s life. The role is negative but traverses various shades of grey between the villainous and the truly evil. Zaryab was not written as a completely negative character and I had to work work hard to give a nuanced performance, one that humanizes him while showing his dark side.

4. It seems that a few close friends collaborated to make Swaarangi. How did the project come about?
The director of the movie, Phida Hussain, and I have been friends for a very long time. He is a very perceptive, creative and sensitive person. His understanding of the human psyche has always impressed me. I had always wanted to work with him.
Phida came up with the idea of Swaarangi and narrated the story to me casually one day. It left me spellbound. He has a very artistic vision and described each scene to me vividly. All major characters in the film had been defined well and motivations, actions and feelings were clearly delineated. I wanted to be a part of the film and was on board immediately.
The producer of the film, Mazhar Abbas, became a good friend during the making of Swaarangi as did my costar, Naveed Akbar. The four (4) of us are now very close, almost inseparable, friends.

5. Swaarangi is an art movie. Do you expect Swaarangi to be a commercial success?
I believe that Swaarangi is going to be a tremendous commercial and critical success.
Pakistani film viewers are smart, intelligent, well-read, and mature. They have been ready for “good” cinema for a long time. The industry has been late in producing serious films. Now things have changed. Our industry is going through an incredible resurgence and reinvention. I am confident that the results will be phenomenal. We will produce good films and people will come in to see them in droves.

6. Resham plays the central character in Swaarangi. Did you enjoy working with a famous star?
Resham is a true legend of Pakistani cinema. She has been a star for more than two (2) decades. That is an awfully long time to maintain top status in show business; but she has done it with grace, dignity and glamour. A lot of glamour.
Resham was a pleasure to work with. She always showed up on time, well-prepared and well-rehearsed. She made sure that all of us understood the characters we were playing well and gave us great support on and off set. Her character in Swaarangi is not glamorous. She could only play it well by utilizing her histrionic abilities and not capitalizing on her glamour and looks. She did that exceedingly well. She immerses herself in the character of Salma in Swaarangi. A few minutes into the film, one forgets that it is Resham on screen starts to see only Salma. I believe that she will get a lot of recognition for her role in the film.

7. How did your wife react to you working with Resham?
Her reaction was good, way better than I had expected. She is a fan of Resham and was excited that I was getting to work with her. My wife is a trusting person. She knows me well. I love her immensely. She need never worry about me.

8. When did you decide to take up acting?
I never made a conscious decision to become a professional actor; things just worked out in a way that I ended up in films.
Voice acting has been my profession for years. I have provided voice for commercials, films, video games and many other works. I enjoy doing voiceovers and am still engaged in voice acting. A few years ago, some friends encouraged me to audition for television. The audition went well and I acted in a few television plays. Then Swaarangi came along. It was a project I could not turn down as an actor. So, here I am. My first film is going to be released soon and I am in talks for several other feature films.

9. Do you enjoy acting?
I am passionate about acting. I like being in front of the camera and am most comfortable when I am in the company of other actors. That being said, I must confess that acting does not come easily to me. I have to work very hard to get my performances right. Memorizing lines, getting into character, maintaining continuity, interacting with the crew, and remaining faithful to the script are all very arduous, albeit enjoyable, tasks. I hope that I will improve my craft with time and working in films will become easy for me. Right now, it is not.

10. In addition to being an actor, you have worked as a model. Do you enjoy modeling?
I consider modeling to be a form of acting and enjoy it a lot. Even though acting is my first love, I plan on continuing to model. It is nice to see myself on billboards!

11. Who are the people who have helped you in your career as an actor?
My friend have always been there for me. They are the ones who encouraged me to audition for television. I am a big believer in true friendship and have been fortunate enough to reap its many benefits, all my life. Resham, Phida Hussain and Mazhar Abbas are three (3) people who helped me enormously as an actor. Their coaching, guidance and support gave me the confidence I needed to act in a feature film. Our senior vocalist, Attaullah Khan Niazi, has always been a source of support and comfort in my life as well. I owe him a lot.

12. When you are not acting, or modeling, what do you do?
I read books and I watch films. A lot of films.

13. What projects are you currently working on?
I am in final discussions with the producer of a feature film that will start filming in the fall. I play the lead in the film. The director of the feature film is new to cinema and will be making his debut with the film. He is an immensely talented and dedicated individual.
There are a few other projects in the pipeline but I am holding off on signing on to any of them until after the release of Swaarangi. I want people to see my performance in the film first.