Saqib Sumeer shares more about his mentor Zia Mohyeddin, his roles in Jhok Sarkar & Kabli Pulao. Read on to find out what he said about being type casted in Pakistan?
Originally being a Computer Science graduate, Saqib Sumeer turned to acting when he studied acting at NAPA, where for 3 years legendary actor, the late, Zia Mohyeddin mentored him. During this time he focused on writing scripts and acting out comical roles in Shah Sharabeel’s plays.
Saqib is known for his roles such as Dilawar in Khuda Aur Muhabbat (season 3) and Rafique Ali in Raqeeb Se, he received wide acclaim for his performances in the dramas. He also ventured into direction and writing when he directed Hatim Tai in 2019, which he co-wrote and acted in. In terms of his TV performances 2023 has been his biggest years with a line up including Ehraam-e-Junoon, Jhok Sarkar, Kuch Ankahi, Jeevan Nagar and Kabli Pulao. He has even made his cinematic debut in 2017 with Mehrunisa V Lub U directed by Yasir Nawaz.
Saqib Sumeer visited FUCHSIA HQ to talk more about his current (and we must add) quite successful shows on the television right now. We asked him on his secret to success, on his fears of being type casted and more below:
Your mentor was the theatre legend Zia Mohyeddin, his impact on you as a Theatre Artist?
He said he learnt endlessly from his mentor,”wo bohat baray insaan thay, ab tou thay boltay way bhi ajeeb lagta hai.”
“Many people make rules but very few actually follow them but he was a stickler for rules, he followed each and every rule he made whether big or small. If he had tea everyday at 5 pm and some days when even a minute passed, he would decide to now have it the next day. He didn’t have a problem if the world followed them or not, at least he wanted to follow the rules he made. Till his last days, he would stay till 9 pm at NAPA, no matter if people came or not. A person can only wish to follow the rules so mindfully like he did.” “He was extremely hardworking, there’s so much history about him, from where he started. When he spoke in Urdu, there was no one who spoke in Urdu better than him and when he spoke English tou angrez akay apni tasleeh unsay karatay thay, I wish I can imbibe that. He was known for his magnanimous talent at home and beyond, his proficiency in hosting, acting, theatre, I just wish to follow in his foot steps.”
Being From Such A Concentrated Theatre Background, Did That Help In Your TV Journey?
He shared a profound analogy when talking about his theatre experience while agreeing how it 100% helped in his Television career. “If somebody wants to swim, theatre is the sea and if once you learn how to swim in the sea, the rivers, lakes and pools become no problem. Yes though there are small changes, treatments in the performances that differ but learning acting is done best through theatre in my opinion. It makes an actor dive deep into the details of acting, the fine lines and nitty gritties while offering no chance at a retake. Theatre sab say mazay ke cheez hai! “
You Are A Part Of The Much Awaited Drama, Jaan-e-Jahan, Can You Tell More About The Drama And Your Character?
While he said there’s not much he can reveal about the drama he did divulge some details about his role in it.
“Kohshish tou yeh hai baqi sab say mukhtalif hou, maza aya because after a lot of time I’m doing a positive character. The character is sweet and fun! It’s Qasim Ali Mureed’s direction so he has directed in detail, he pays substantial attention to each detail, in every scene!
His Current Hit Dramas All Show Him As A Negative Character? Is It Intentional Or By Chance?
“Meri kohshish hoti hai jou bhi kero, pehlay say thora sa different hou. There are a lot of dimensions in a negative character too so I try usmay bhi, wo ek doosray say mukhtalif hou. He said that when he is offered 3/4 dramas at a time, he picks the 2 best ones as per him but adds: kamyaabi tou Allah kay haath mai hai. Lauding his director he said: Jahan Kashif Nisar ke baat ati hai tou koi sawal he nae banta meray liye.
We Asked If He Fears Being Type Cast In The Industry? With His Negative Roles?
“He said type casting is a highly prevalent concern in Pakistan, uska tou dar hota hai aur rakhna bhi chahye kyun kay channels and productions houses pick up the actor depending on their performances in similar roles, very few tend to take the risk of allowing an actor to experiment in new roles. But my consecutive negative roles have simply been co incidental, an itefaq!”
Your Current Projects Have Been Received Well, Do You Have A Well Thought Out Selection Process For Your Roles?
He says there is no secret to success, karnay kab baad, akhri time tak, episode chalnay tak nae bata saktay kay yeh character mazay ka hai ya nae, wo 100% Allah kay hath mai. Kon writer, director nae chahta? Meri kohsish yeh hoti hai kay bas alag how aur director mazay ka hou. If there is some room left in the script, the director can add some spark and the kind that allows improvisations too. But it is impossible to know, you are only sure when audiences see it, then you get the true response.
2023 Seems To Be A Big Year, How Does The Success Feel Right Now?
Yeh cheez to kabhi khatam hou he nae sakti, the struggle and hard work always remains, you just repeat it all over again. Maza tou isi may hai! Once I asked Javed Sheikh saab, when I was doing a film with him, I asked about this saying har urooj kay baad zawal hai, so everybody is scared of the zawal, how to avoid it? Javed Shekh said: simple se baat hai, pointing to his head yahan say kabhi urooj nae lao, tou phir zawal nae ayega.
Saqib Sumeer continued: bas mai hamesha yeh yaad rakhta houn – bas shukar ada karay and move on to the next!
We Asked If his Roles In Jhok Sarkar as Dhani Baksh and Ghaffar in Kabli Pulao Were An Instant Yes Or He Wanted More Clarity On The Characters Before Making A Decision?
He shared there is no secret formula and neither do you know anything about the success of the drama or the character till the very end. We keep trying to improve it to the best of our abilities in the given situation, each scene by scene. I don’t think I can ever assure myself and ever be 100% satisfied because there is always room for improvement.
Are you catching up on Kabli Pulao? What do you think about the drama?
