In this candid tête-à-tête, Ali opens up about his life and how the recent period has changed him from a person to an actor....
US TALK
Upcoming actor Ali Ammar is fast carving a niche of his own in our drama industry. Things changed dramatically in his life when a friend took him to the auditions of Ehd-e-Wafa, and, to his utter surprise, he was selected for a role. That’s how he ventured into a world which seems so glamorous and easy from a distance, but when he delved into this world, he realised that to build his career he really needed to learn more. This led him to the Arts Council to do theatre in order to comprehend acting, improve diction, and embrace the aesthetics thereof. That is how he emerged as a mature actor in Wehshi, Mohabbat Ki Aakhri Kahani, and Jhok Sarkar.
In this candid tête-à-tête, Ali opens up about his life and how the recent period has changed him from a person to an actor.
Us: What does success mean to you?
Ali Ammar: For me, success has multiple dimensions. It’s a complete package of happiness and satisfaction followed by the acknowledgement of your work by the people.
Us: What is something you learned early on in your career which helped you become a better actor?
AA: In this career, it’s a cycle of never-ending lessons. Every day you get to experience new things and new lessons. In a nutshell, I can say that [you need to] keep polishing your skills and crafts to stand out.
Us: What is the most challenging thing about this career?
AA: To be consistent until you get the desired stage to perform.
Us: Did you get any formal education for this career? How did you learn the craft of acting?
AA: I took short classes for acting from a native coach. Then I performed in a few theatre plays. I also try to study the literature of different schools of acting, like Konstantin Stanislavski etcetera, to be able to comprehend the mandatory aesthetics to become a good performer.
Us: Who are some of your role model actors and what do you like about their work?
AA: Fawad Khan, Zahid Ahmed, Saleem Mairaj, the late Moin Akhter, Kay Kay Menon, Irrfan Khan, and Ajay Devgn. I like their professionalism and the way they penetrate into their characters.
Us: Out of your projects, which one was the most meaningful to you, and why?
AA: In Wehshi, I played the role of a friend of a violent and stubborn person who was going through a rough patch in life, courtesy of a traumatic past. In my current serial, Jhok Sarkar, I am playing the role of an aggressive young man who is very strict to his village.
Us: Do you believe good looks and connections are the only things that make a star?
AA: Only the “audience” makes one a star. Nothing else!!
Us: How has social media changed things for you?
AA: Social media has made it easy to connect with people for work in the industry.
Us: How do you deal with self-doubt?
AA: I deal with self-doubt with my belief in myself that no matter how tricky and challenging things may be, I have the prowess to handle them diligently.
Us: Please share three pieces of advice for aspiring actors.
AA: Work hard to polish your skills, have patience to achieve your goal, and don’t leave the ground because of the fear of failure.
Date of birth and star
5th October and that makes me a Libra.
The best thing about being a teenager was
Being a teenager.
The worst thing about being a teenager was
Overthinking about the future.
My favourite actors were
Fawad Khan and Shahid Kapoor.
My favourite movies were
Helen of Troy, Gladiator, Inception, Rang De Basanti, and 3 Idiots.
My favourite subjects were
Marketing, project management, and cloud computing.
My least favourite subjects were
Maths, calculus, and differential equations.
My favourite food was
Mixed vegetables.
My favourite sport was
Cricket.
