Emotionally disturbing on many levels: Fawad Khan talks ‘Barzakh’

Fawad Khan – former rock star, current magnetic A-lister – breathes the rarified air of the celebrated superstar, whether he likes it or not. With his upcoming supernatural web series Barzakh on the verge of being released online on July 19, the Humsafar actor sat down for a candid interview with Pinkvilla about his latest offering and the special appeal of Pakistani dramas across the border.

Having climbed to the enviable showbiz position of being able to cherry-pick his own projects, Fawad knew Barzakh was a winner from the get-go. “When I read the script, I was sold,” he said. “The script, the team, and in particular, [director] Asim Abbasi - everything was amazing. I’d seen his earlier work, and he is masterful – an amazing director.”

Recalling shooting for the role, Fawad laughed about how “unhinged” his character, Sheheryar the psychiatrist, gets as the show progresses. “He’s a candidate for therapy himself! I’m laughing about it now, but shooting it was emotionally disturbing on many levels.”

One of the things that is far from emotionally disturbing for Fawad, however, is having the chance to collaborate once more with Sanam Saeed after last having worked with his fellow A-lister on Zindagi Gulzar Hai. “She is such a phenomenal actor,” said Fawad warmly. “I feel very comfortable working with her, and she’s so gifted. As an actor, I feel the job is about reaction more than action – and when you have two actors reacting to each other, it makes the job so much easier.”

Mulling over the special appeal of Pakistani dramas across the border, Fawad reckons that where India has conquered the world of cinema, Pakistani actors and directors have honed their skills in the art of longer narratives. “In Pakistan, the visual medium has primarily been television, whereas in India, the strong suit is cinema,” explained the actor. “In India, the dream for actors is to work in cinema, whereas in Pakistan, it’s been television. We’ve learned how to work on narratives for television, which is why I think we’re good at it.”

One thing is for sure: without the power of television, Fawad would not be where he is today. Fawad has previously gone on record to note that his lead role in Humsafar was just a paycheque – but even he acknowledges that that paycheque had the power to open doors. “You are nothing before you’re something,” he noted sagely. To actors starting out in the industry, he added, “I had just come from a rock band and I wanted to do something more complex than Humsafar, but being dismissive is not the way to start out. I’m not saying that Humsafar was nothing, but yes, it was an opportunity to start work.” Hammering home his advice, Fawad concluded, “To actors I would say, capitalise on any opportunity you get. If nothing else, you will get the chance to polish your craft.”

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