When Junaid Khan – lead vocalist of Call the band – stepped into the world of acting in 2011, he faced more criticism than appreciation. He has a background in singing and, like all the singers who switch to acting (Farhan Saeed, Goher Mumtaz), he was also being judged with several wondering whether he could act or not. However, eight years into the business with several TV roles to his credit, the artist has come a long way. He has been able to prove his mettle as an actor over the years, with considerable improvement in his work, while he will soon be making his big screen debut (we’ll come to that later).
“I had come from a very different background and my style was very different than what it is today,” Junaid told Instep in an exclusive interview. “When onstage (doing concerts) I am a very different guy. I had to really change myself for various TV characters. Even in terms of my personality, I had to take certain shifts. The protocol we get in music versus the protocol offered in television is very different. Back then, television wasn’t a financially strong medium; I had to adjust accordingly but it was something that I wanted to explore.”
“Therefore, when initially I received the feedback that ‘I’m stiff, I’m not giving enough expressions,’ I made sure I train myself on-ground,” he continued. “This is why I’m doing back to back TV plays because I want to really challenge myself. I really wanted to get good at it so that people like me for my craft. Thankfully, now I am getting great feedback and it’s very encouraging.”
Junaid is presently starring in three TV plays including Yaarian, Kamzarf and Hania; the most noteworthy performance out of the three is the one in Hania, in which he essays an anti-hero of sorts. He is an abusive husband, a psychopath to be precise, who constantly tortures his wife, Hania, played by Zoya Nasir. The character is quite different from the kind of roles we have seen Junaid performing in the past. Though he has done negative roles in his previous plays, this one is very blatant and one that the actor is pulling off really well!
“My hardcore fans do not want to see me playing any negative character onscreen; they say that they like me more as the ‘good guy’,” the actor shared. “But then there is another set of fans who are actually appreciating that I am exploring diverse characters. There is a divide but the play is doing really well.”
When asked how he feels about experimenting with roles, the singer turned actor responded, “As actors, we crave unusual roles because, for a male actor, there is very less margin to explore in television. So, whenever we find one, we grab it. I was very excited while we were shooting for Hania to see how the character turns out.”
“There is very little scope for male characters on television,” he continued. “The content is generally aimed at women so the protagonists are mostly women who are the ‘hero’ of the plot. There are domestic stories with themes revolving around marriage and family ties; rarely do we find a script that is male oriented or offers a very unique character on the small screen.”
The Yaarian actor also noted that though the kind of characters male actors portray on the small screen have evolved in the last couple of years, it’s the newer lot of actors who have brought a fresh wave.
“Recent years have seen some really good actors, who have introduced a new method of acting,” he maintained. “A few years back, the acting method had gotten really monotonous but now they are bringing a very different style of storytelling; they are adding a lot more to their characters.”
Coming back to Junaid’s film debut, the actor informed that things have been finalized but he will share details once the film goes on floor, which is due in August this year. He is also gearing up for a song with Call that they plan to shoot in the next couple of months while a TV play is also in the pipeline that features him opposite Hira Mani with whom he earlier worked in Thays.
