With the much awaited release for Guru, we want to shine the spotlight on 3 male actors who dared to challenge society’s ideals and take on unconventional roles!
In our society a man baring any supposedly ‘feminine’ qualities of wanting to invest in skincare, keeping their nails and hair well groomed, or just indulging in personal care is often considered not ‘normal’ society.
And here, we showcase characters where male actors challenged their talents, playing a role as woman or an inter sex.
The Ideal Hyper Masculine Actor
In Pakistan, male actors are often expected to depict a tall, bearded and hyper masculine look and any male actor who dares to take on a portrayal that doesn’t fit in the typecast is roared upon.
Art is also a depiction of our society. Artists are meant to portray such characters from the segments of society we comfortably disassociate from and challenge themselves to thrive. The performing Arts is one area that is often free of, or should be, from personal inhibitions or barriers. That is however, easier said than done. For a male actor to play another gender is certainly challenging in its own way and also, the pressure to handle the role with sensitivity and not damage a cause further, but instead, highlight it in a society that holds multiple taboos is indeed, a task to be lauded.
Thus we feature 3 male actors who have dared to go against society’s ideals and adopted unconventional characters on screen. First up and the most recent:
1. Ali Rehman Khan In Guru
Produced by Shazia Wajahat and directed by Bilawal Hussain Abbasi, Guruwill be aired on Express TV. The drama stars Ali Rehman Khan in a role he hasn’t dared to do before. With a launch date yet to be shared, the story is about an intersex character whose source of earning depends on dancing at functions. Ali Rehman’s character lives a complex dual life showing outward joy and smiling at events but possibly, multiple challenges in his personal life. The character promises to shed light into the lead’s experiences both at social events and at home.
The teaser is aptly gripping. We glimpsed snippets of pain, anticipation and possibly outward joy. With a topic so sensitive, audiences are waiting to see how well it has been represented. The teasers have also highlighted drug use, discrimination and marginalized communities among other social issues. The drama also stars Zhalay Sarhadi, Hira Khan and Umer Aalam in pivotal roles.
The producer shared how she was proud of Ali Rehman for taking on this challenging role and getting out of his comfort zone, thanking him for breaking barriers with a look many would think twice of before choosing.
2. Muneeb Butt In Sar e Rah
Sar e Rah, a 7 episode-series aimed to break stereotypes. It addressed issues such as the rights of the intersex community, gender equality, women empowerment and infertility. The drama aired on ARY Digital and was a project of iDream Production.
In his small attempt to break stereotypes, Muneeb Butt broke many moulds when he wilfully took up the character for Sarang. Sarang, an intersex boy who faces personal struggles and challenges before finally earning a position as Assistant commissioner in Pakistan Civil Service. The role highlighted social issues, stereotypes and broke taboos all at the same time. Sarang’s story was an uplifting one and sent out multiple messages in an impactful narrative penned by Adeel Razzaq and directed by Adeel Bhatti.
Muneeb Butt’s performance created an example enabling and encouraging actors who are reluctant to take up roles that give them the opportunity to showcase their talents and breaking free from stereotypes. Muneeb even worked on his transformation, starting with waxing his arms and getting his eyebrows done. “It’s such a painful process and I’m now able to understand it. When I was getting my eyebrows done, it felt like I was getting operated on,” he laughed.
Muneeb is known to have shared how in the past, he rejected a lot of roles because he was scared if he would be made fun of but now he seems to be actively taking “brave steps” by not being afraid of his work and trying to show the actor within. Kudos to Muneeb!
Imran Ashraf In Alif Allah Aur Insaan
The drama was a Momina Duraid and was written by Qaisra Hayat based on her novel Alif, Allah Aur Insaan. The series was directed by Ahson Talish and aired on HUM Tv in 2017-1018.
Imran Ashraf’s range of acting prowess is commendable – he has played so many versatile roles, be it in Gul-e-Rana or Mushk or his most acclaimed role in Ranjha Ranjha Kardi. He dared to play a role of an trans person long before anybody else did.
Imran Ashraf played the character of Shammo in Alif Allah Aur Insaan which was a story about unrequited love and how fate plays a role in crafting the characters lives. Audiences found Shammo’s character to be the heart of the drama with Ashraf’s performance.
Subsequently, in a BBC Urdu interview, Imran spoke about his character choices: “People did laugh at me. For ten years people have laughed at me. For eight years i have tolerated peoples’ jokes.”
All said and done, we are looking forward to watching Ali Rehman in Guru. Are you excited to watch Guru, tell us in comments?
