The singer and actor talks about corporatization of music, living on the road and his first home production that will mark his big screen debut.
Farhan Saeed has had a good year. He’s just celebrated his second wedding anniversary with starlet, Urwa Hocane, and has been on the road all season.
But the year 2018, he tells Instep, has changed him for the better. “It has changed me for good; I’m more disciplined, more focused. Honestly, getting the right life partner is what life is all about; I’m blessed to have Urwa in my life.”
Having landed an hour back in Islamabad, he makes time for this interview even though he is scheduled to be onstage later that evening in Peshawar. He does prefer wearing shades indoors and does carry a starry persona, but there are no airs whatsoever and Farhan is grateful for the fans he has and surprisingly down-to-earth.
Known as an actor as well, our conversation, however, begins with life on the road, hopping cities and performing across multiple cities and venues.
“I really want every musician in Pakistan to live this life because I’m somebody who wishes well for everyone,” says Farhan. “I know how much hard work goes into creating one song and content for people. Unfortunately things weren’t very active in Pakistan for the last couple of years. Now, since last year I feel, it’s really picked up. The security situation has become better and everything’s a lot more stable now.”
He further adds: “Music is coming back, concerts are coming back, and it feels great, and because of Suno Chanda and my acting graph, everybody wants to see an actor singing too; it’s gotten a little out of hands, but we’re enjoying it.”
As for the corporatization present in music, Farhan has a strong opinion on the matter. “I’ve heard many people bashing the corporate(s) getting into music but I honestly don’t know why they complain. Unfortunately, because Pakistan went through some really tough times, if it wasn’t for these corporates, I don’t think music would’ve survived,” he maintains of their contribution.
“These platforms (such as Coke Studio, for example), have made household names out of artists. Nobody knew them (before being featured) and now they’re stars. Of course, the creative aspect of it does get compromised, but if you, and your content are strong enough, they’re not foolish to denounce something that is in line with the public out of the blue.”
Farhan, for instance, who was last featured on Coke Studio season 10 and collaborated with ‘Lathay Di Chaddar’ with Quratulain Baloch says he personally had a “good experience.”
The success of his Ramazan play, Suno Chanda, meanwhile means it’s getting a sequel scheduled to appear in Ramazan, 2019. That’s certainly not all when it comes to Farhan’s acting endeavors. He’s all set for his film debut.
Though earlier he was supposed to star in Khalil-ur-Rehman Qamar’s cross-border romance, Kaaf Kangana, and was also spotted at the script-reading of Wajahat Rauf’s upcoming comedy, Karachi Se Lahore 3, Farhan has opted out of both. Instead, he is rumored to be starring in a home-production now, which will be made under the umbrella of his better half, Urwa, who won’t be starring in the film. While he neither denied nor confirmed the speculation, one wonders what took him this long to make a cinematic foray.
“I had been on the lookout for a better script,” he shares. “I’d personally go to the cinemas to critique and judge, by which I mean being able to decipher between the good and the bad. I really want people to know that what my team and I are doing is right or not, and so we planned on doing it ourselves, and see if people like it,” Farhan responded of taking things into his own hands. “I personally think we will make a good product.”
So, what can one expect from Farhan Saeed’s debut big screen film? Realism for one thing.
“I think a film should be a story of normal people,” says Farhan. “In Bollywood and all over the world, it’s the ordinary stories that are making their way to cinemas. Our dramas, for example, are appreciated and followed everywhere because when women in our serials wake up after a good night’s sleep, they’re not wearing heavy jewellery like we’ve seen in Indian soaps where people disconnect because it’s not close to reality. Yes, I agree that cinema has to be larger than life, but it has to be the same stories told in a bigger way.”
Being a musician himself, he also hopes to extensively work on the soundtrack, yet trust the director’s instincts as it’s his job to mount the film. “Something I’ve also objected to, or perhaps I feel can be improved is the music of Pakistani films. I’ll most definitely be working hard on that department. And I do believe that a film is a director’s medium so he has to be intelligent and great at what he does so it doesn’t look or feel like a drama,” he says, on a parting note.
