It’s all in the name, they say, and Imran Abbas is that name for sure. Some actors age like fine wine and it wouldn’t be wrong to say that although the ageing factor is still missing here, the fine in the ahem, wine is very much adding to the flavour! And if we continue with the fine – nesse, his recent project Tumharey Husn Kay Naam sent out goals to all actors, young and old – I feel like singing “That’s the way, uhuh, uhuh, but I’ll stop” and onwards to the chit chat with the actor who dived into his role as the evergreen Sikander, just like the man himself!
It is but no small measure of an actor’s talent to play the same character in one project, spanning a generation. And both characters did not belong to the age he actually is, at the time! But Sikander and Salma of Tumharey Husn Kay Naam did exactly that, and oh what poetry it was to behold their love story traverse a lifetime, blended with Art, Architecture, Poetry, Song and an irresistible charm that was a song in motion – a vintage one at that.
Amidst the imposing architecture and vintage backdrop of the drama, emerged a love story that will stay with us much after the final scene dropped on viewers last month. And hence, it is with great pleasure that we had the opportunity to connect with Imran Abbas on his character in Tumharey Husn Kay Naam.
When Tumharey Husn Kay Naam came your way, you said yes instantly or … you wanted to know more?
Imran Abbas: “When I was offered Tumharey Husn Kay Naam, of course it always takes a little time to decide on a project. And same was the case with Tumharey Husn Kay Naam. I was definitely excited to work in a project which is written by Umera Ahmed because she’s one of the finest writers we have and for me, the writer of any script is one of the most important factors which make me say yes to any project – director and writer both, and Saqib Khan is truly a very talented director.”
Imran went on to explain passionately, his leaning towards the director:
“Once I was planning to make a film and I chose Saqib for that project because I somehow had a belief in this director, that he has something different to offer as compared to other run-of-the-mill directors we have nowadays. He has something very special about him when it comes to directing anything. I know that he does things differently.”
On the cast itself, he had this to say:
“The whole cast was brilliant – Salman Shahid, Saba Qamar… So we had the finest actors in the project. The storyline was a little different of course but you know the main reason?”
Imran takes a pause and of course, I urge him on, the main reason, yes, do tell!
“One of the main reasons was also the relatability factor because I am an architect myself I graduated from National College of Arts Lahore. And I’m a poet too, and I believe my Urdu is up to par – the connection with Architecture, NCA, the poetry connection, music connection, connection with that era. In the 90s we were kids growing up and that was not the time of mobile phones, it was the time of PTV. So, all these things were very relatable.”
Imran already had me teleported to the 90s with that nostalgic description, and I somehow, knew that Tumharey Husn Kay Naam was not only for the 90s actors growing up in the time, but, also for the 90s audiences. And that’s why it had the vote bank of a great many viewers who watched PTV at the time, and just like that, explained as it was by Imran, with the 90s era pull factor, lies the reason why Tumharey Husn Kay Naam taking over 80s and 90s viewers by storm made absolute and total sense!
Imran Abbas continued to deconstruct the reasons for his saying yes, (though I didn’t need more).
We trusted each other as actors, so we never prepped for a scene beforehand.
Imran Abbas on playing Sikander against Saba Qamar aka Salma in Tumharey Husn Kay Naam
“So there were so many things which were definitely the reasons to say yes to this project and although I had this apprehension that the parents should not get married, I addressed my questions to the producer, Misbah Shafique. We agreed that this time, it should be a little unconventional and why should audiences expect Salma and Sikander to sacrifice yet again for their kids? This time they should set an example that this is also a possibility, that there’s nothing wrong about it in terms of religion – if our religion allows it, then why not? And why should someone’s age, the age of marriage that is in the minds of conventional people, if it is removed, then why not? Why should they not get married??
And the final call … a resounding YES thank Goodness! Can you imagine Salma without our Sikander? The thought was so spine chilling that I pushed it away instantly! And then, Imran Abbas continued:
“Eventually, I was convinced, and I said, yes, let’s do this.”
A story in which you get to play a young character and then an older guy all in the same drama – dream come true or a challenge to do the time lapse?
Imran Abbas: “So, it was definitely a very challenging role because playing younger than your age, of course, I’m not a college-going boy anymore and of course, I’m not in that age bracket either, jismay meray itnay baray bachay hou tou dono he jaga humay thori si mehnat karni pari thi, lekin NCA walay time pay itni nahi kari kyunkay woh waqt mainay dekha hai.:
Imran responds in a nostalgic tone.
“This was the first time I was playing a character older than my age and at this point where I’m playing lead in every serial, every project, films, TV, and at that time it’s a little challenging and a little risky, but I liked it. Sikandar’s body language, his attitude and that contrast that you had given in the beginning, after that you had to give it at this age too. So as an actor, Sikander had something different to offer and I took this challenge and I think Saba equally performed these characters – younger and the older character fabulously.”
Did you discuss them much, I asked, curious to know how the magic happened onscreen. And Imran reveals …
“Saba is a very fine actress of course. When we used to perform our scenes, it used to come out so organically. And I don’t believe in rehearsing a lot, I think that when you do it and you immerse yourself in that character, then automatically, organically, that thing comes out in you.”
On pre rehearsal before the shoot?
“No, we didn’t discuss them much. Because organically, the scenes are better. And we trusted each other as actors. And we are among the actors, that when we do scenes together, it’s not about who will do it better. It’s the scene with me and my co-star in which we both have to do it together in such a way that there is no competition. We must do a scene well and see things from that perspective.”
And with that reasonably mature perspective, we move on to … a romance for the books?
Imran Abbas’s Tribute To Tumharey Husn Kay Naam From One Of His Favorite Ghazal
Kat hi gayi judai bhi, kab ye hua k mar gaye
Nadeem Hashmi
Tere bhi din guzar gaye, mere bhi din guzar gaye
Rahoon me hi milay thy hum, raahein naseeb ho gayin
Tu bhi na apnay ghar gaya, hum bhi na apnay ghar gaye
Waqt hi kuch judai ka itna taweel hogaya
dil me tere firaaq k jitny thy zakhm bhar gaye
Tu bhi kuch or, Or tha, hum bhi kuch or, Or thy
Jaaney wo tu kidhar gaya, jaaney wo hum kidhar gaye
Sikander and Salma’s love story is very kitaabi, aajkal kay zamaane mein aisa nahi, or … you feel this is exactly what the youth needs, a kitaabi romance to show them how it’s really done?
On another note, did you fear you would lose audiences because it was too slow or not more sensational, loud and fast paced like some stories we see, amassing millions of views?
Imran Abbas: “Losing audiences or that people don’t relate to a bookish love story…aisi baat nahi hai. But I will tell you this – not only in Hollywood but in our subcontinent as well, and you can see the history of Indian and Pakistani cinema, that the most beautiful projects, the cult classics were never commercially a big hit but yes, they were always remembered, and I think this is one of the projects that will be remembered.”
Imran’s inner poet surfaces when he explains, and I believe, quite aptly:
“Umrao Jaan by Muzaffar Ali or Silsila or Lamhe, these were not big super hit films. But they are still remembered.”
“I can give you many such examples. And many other useless and tasteless projects became super hit blockbusters. When you watch them later, you will wonder, what was in it? But these millions and millions of views and all these things are very sad and very meaningless. At least for me. We should do that work in which you feel proud even after 10 years.”
Imran went on to speak from a place of someone who knows, and in all honesty:
“As an actor, I think that thing is left far behind for me, when millions and millions of people needed to validate a project. Now, there was another serial with me, which I think has millions of views by now. So, that thing is different. You keep getting those commercial projects.”
Imran Abbas
Oh yes, that one, I think to myself. But every fine actor has some of those under his belt, right? (reality check). And that shouldn’t deter or take away from the “other” kind of projects, the Tumharey Husn Kay Naam kind…thankfully (sigh of relief, mine)!
Imran continues, reading my thoughts it seems:
“But you should also do some things in which your thirst as an artist is quenched. The bookish love, the grammar of love is not time bound. You can never confine it to today’s love or tomorrow’s love. The emotions that Allah has given are eternal and timeless… They are not geographically, or region bound in any way, nor do they come under the confines of time, but the real thing is always there and will always be there so…”
Imran speaks with a passion that made me feel I was talking to the Sikander from Tumharey Husn Kay Naam, Salma’s Sikander for sure! On the period shown in the drama, he had this to say.
“The time of 90s that has been shown in it there are many people who still relate to it. And even now, people in the 90s are not that old. So, the most beautiful thing in it was that we are probably from the last generation who saw the time of PTV, in which we spent our childhood away from mobile phones and all this technology. This was a beautiful aspect of this serial, that we showed the kind of heroism that will become history in a few days. Many kids today will not even know what it was like, and it is still the same.”
And I found myself nodding my head, Sikander and Salma will probably show us what it was like… in the 90s!
But I press on, wanting to know how he balanced his career options and choice of scripts.
Do you feel that the fear of views is a real fear for actors choosing a script? E.g. you love the script but fear your commercial success as an actor, marketability, will go nowhere with this.
Imran Abbas: “Yes, this is also an aspect. Many new actors feel the pressure of their serial being a hit, their work being commercially viable, to survive. Eventually, this whole game, this business, ends up on numbers. You have to earn money, if you give a commercial hit, people will think you are a successful actor and you will get work. But at a point, I feel that I have worked for so long, these things have become meaningless for me – commercial, non-commercial. Now I want to do something that will excite me in some way.”
Mein uss point se guzar chuka hu jahan mujhe commercial hit dena ya flop denay ka koi pressure ho. Meine jo manwana tha, wo manwalia hai aur jo nahi maanna chahata wo mujhe na maane. Mujhe ab iss se koi farq nahi parhta. It’s so superficial for me now at this point in time.
Imran Abbas
A moment or a scene on the sets that you cherish most. A dialogue perhaps?
Imran Abbas: “We shot this project in summer and winter both. The hostel scenes that we did, we shot them at Bari studio which are the film studios where films have stopped being made. And in those studios, there were many big films made at one time. And those walls and places have witnessed the film industry, … its golden era. It is now covered with tattered walls, spider webs and now, a strange emptiness. It feels like great actors of the past made history in amidst those walls. These things always fascinate me. As a student of architecture, I also like the look and feel of those buildings. The streets, the corridors, and we were shooting in such cold weather that we were really cold. We were sitting around the fire, and it was very cold where we were shooting, I will never forget that time because I don’t know if those buildings will still be there or if they will be demolish and turned into shopping malls too. But that was one of those moments which I will always cherish.”
And that, dear folks, is Sikander aka Imran Abbas for you in the cherished, loved, endearing, vintage story, Tumharey Husn Kay Naam! We wish him well and hope we get more vintage stories coming our way in 2024! Tell us what you loved most about the drama!
Tumhare Husn Kay Naam, Directed by Saqib Khan and written by Sarah Qayyum & Umera Ahmed. The masterful storytelling is complemented by the vision of Qaiser Ali, the Director of Content & Digital, ensuring a captivating narrative. Presented by EYECONIC MEDIA in association with MULTIVERSE ENTERTAINMENT, the stellar cast includes Saba Qamar, Imran Abbas, Asad Siddiqui, Sidra Niazi, Salman Shahid, Nayyer Ejaz, Haris Wahid, Maha Hasan and others.
