Several leading actors in Hollywood walk the fine line between being on camera and being behind it. From Woody Allen to Angelina Jolie, George Clooney to Natalie Portman, several prestigious actors have found themselves working behind the camera and for a lot of these actors, the behind the scene role is that of a producer.
Several leading actors in Hollywood walk the fine line between being on camera and being behind it. From Woody Allen to Angelina Jolie, George Clooney to Natalie Portman, several prestigious actors have found themselves working behind the camera and for a lot of these actors, the behind the scene role is that of a producer.
Closer to home, the same can be said for the likes of superstars Shah Rukh Khan and Salman Khan who produce every film they star in.
The trend, however, is not restricted to foreign shores as a number of prominent actors right here at home have turned their attention to production as well.
In conversation with Instep, Humayun Saeed, Hareem Farooq and Fahad Mustafa open up about what made them set up their own production houses and what the role of a producer entails…
Shared landscape, multiple stories
Humayun Saeed, one of the leading actors in the industry, tells Instep that acting to him has always been secondary. Passionate and curious about production from an early age.
“I had a friend who would compare Pakistani and Bollywood productions; he would speak of quality and differentiate the two, so I started looking at films through that perspective. I wanted to bring about certain changes, I just fell into acting before,” shares Humayun.
Two decades have passed since Humayun’s first foray into production. Today he successfully runs one of the most esteemed production houses in the country, Six Sigma Plus.
Having produced two films as a producer, he has often come under fire for starring in his own films. “I produce over fifteen projects a year, I only work in one of them a year,” he says. The other projects are TV outings, he points out.
Known for producing film that fall into the commercially viable cinema label, Humayun agrees to “playing it safe”.
“I want to make all sorts of film but for now I want to stick to what the audience connects to,” he states. “Though I would love to work on a thriller or a murder-mystery but it can be done only when I know I can sustain my banner. I won’t mind exploring them or catering to a limited audience, I just can’t afford to do it now.”
In Humayun’s forthcoming Punjab Nahi Jaungi, he’s sticking to the same team that delivered him his previous blockbuster, Jawani Phir Nahi Ani and he admits that it’s a conscious decision. “Nadeem and I click when we’re brainstorming and we’re always on the same page. I do want to work with other directors, but we don’t have a lot of ‘filmmakers’ so to speak. If somebody comes to me with a great idea, without me starring in the film, I won’t mind producing it. I even did Project Ghazi to support young talent. I would’ve produced Maula Jatt or Actor in Law for Bilal (Lashari) and Nabeel (Qureshi), even if I wasn’t in the film. I just need to prioritize currently.”
Launching new talent
Another person working in the industry as an actor and producer is Hareem Farooq. She believes that lesser female representation behind the camera results in sexism. “I think it’s been made-up. When you talk of production, a lot of women themselves take a backseat. Once I started doing it, I realized that women’s single biggest strength is multi-tasking and that’s what you need in production,” she observes.
Co-running IRK Films with Imran Kazmi, Hareem took a leap into production last year with Janaan and is co-producing Parchi, where she also takes the lead alongside Ali Rehman Khan. “I started off as an actor, but I did have plans of eventually turning to production. However, Imran made me realize that I don’t need to wait for another ten years,” she shares.
“Very recently, somebody told me that being a producer takes the ‘glamour’ element away from me. You can’t stereotype someone according to what they wear or look like; I don’t see someone saying that to Fahad or Humayun.”
In fact, Hareem believes that her dual role in the industry gives her the authority to decide what kind of scripts and films are being produced. “Everyone has a certain vision and you can’t always wait for that one dream role to come to you. As a producer, you can try to change that. You become the boss. By the time I get done with acting, which I won’t until I get my Oscar, I will have the liberty to keep producing content I believe in.”
Hareem’s ambition isn’t entirely self-motivated as she also hopes to provide a platform to aspiring actors. Whilst Janaan introduced us to Hania Aamir and Usman Mukhtar, Parchi marks the silver screen debut for 11 newcomers.
The business of cinema
Fahad Mustafa on the other hand has no qualms about following the conventional route of producing run-off-the-mill content and he’s managed to convince us with the debate he puts forward. “It’s a business. You cannot dictate the channel. If you produce five dramas that they want, they’ll let you experiment with one. You can’t always be creative,” he professes.
“Now’s not the right time,” says Fahad of why he’s choosing to invest in television plays and not films. “As a producer, I don’t understand the dynamics of cinema yet. Also when other producers are offering films to me, why would I want to produce for myself? Maybe when I’m not being offered anything,” he says before he bursts out laughing.
That being said, social commentary in the name of awareness is being overdone for the ratings race. Surprisingly, Fahad agrees. “It’s not an institution, it’s there for entertainment. People decide what they want to watch. It’s not like we make people watch what we want them to, we ask them what they want,” says Fahad. “Instead of degrading our viewers, we need to understand them.”
A career spanning over a decade, Fahad founded Big Bang Entertainment three years ago with the motive of focusing on acting only. “I was tired of working too much. Physically or even mentally, you can’t always be present everywhere. Whenever I act, I want to enjoy and to be able to act in the long-run, I had to do something else and this line of work was something I was good at. I’ve produced over sixty odd projects. You can’t always work in your productions; you sell your productions, not yourself and to keep the actor in me alive, I’ve worked with other people and that’s turned out great.”
