Most of us tend to live under the assumption that celebrities are like the gods of Olympus. In real life, however, their halo may not shine as bright as we’d imagine it to and Wednesday evening at the Top Grey studio in Korangi was a startling testament to that.

One was led onto the elaborate set of Jawani Phir Nahin Aani, where the finale song was being recorded. The energy was palpable; this was a space brewing with the hustle bustle of crew members on the job and where starlets could be seen catching their breath between takes as the music continued to blare in the background. Half-eaten meals lay strewn around while the leading ladies balanced oversized rollers in their hair in an attempt to keep their updos intact. In the midst of this entire hullabaloo was Hamza Ali Abbasi, sitting on what appeared to be a barber’s chair, waiting for someone to yell, "action!"

Dressed in a crisp black sherwani he looked intense, every bit the serious moralist he’s cut out to be these days. But then as he smiled you could sense a goofy sincerity on his face; it was a naivete that camouflaged a plethora of controversies – of sexist and chauvinistic comments, extremist views and offensive statements.

It’s safe to say that post Pyaray Afzal, Hamza Ali Abbasi has oversaturated his existence with Facebook updates rather than acting projects. He is perhaps one of the most outspoken actors of the country and this very ‘quality’ has brought with it immense press scrutiny. One wonders if after his latest stunt of disowning his upcoming film over a song – that shows him stepping out of a pool half-naked and surrounded by ‘bikini-clad’ women – he is going to evade the subject. But he’s obviously itching to speak about it.

"Yes, I am not going to promote the film and I even told the distributor that," Hamza reinforces as we sit down to chat. "There is one particular song that exceeds the kind of limitations we have both culturally and socially. It involves a beach and a few women (in bikinis) and I feel that is not something that needs to be shown. Otherwise the film is actually very decent with clean humour. It’s a complete family film. It is just that one song which I have an issue with and if they take that out, I will promote the film with all my heart and soul."

Of course, this isn’t the first time Hamza has had an issue. He’s had issues with celebrating the legality of gay marriages, he’s had issues with Bollywood’s anti-Pakistan sentiments and more recently, he has had a head-on issue with Saif Ali Khan, who claimed to have "lost faith in Pakistan" after his film Phantom was banned in Pakistan. Hamza has never shied away from speaking up about these issues even though his expressions have gotten him more criticism than praise.

"I never say anything scandalous," Hamza makes another unbelievable statement. "I don’t take names or target people and I don’t share cheap stuff. What I say is essentially what a lot of other people are saying as well. But the problem is that actors or celebrities are not expected to be vocal especially about social or political issues," Hamza clarifies. "Our society tends to classify people - for instance, doctors are only supposed to treat people and similarly actors are only supposed to act. They can’t voice their opinion on sociopolitical issues. So perhaps the reason why whatever I say becomes a controversy is because I am not supposed to say it at all as per society’s mindset."

"There is something called moderation," he continues, "and I consider myself to be a moderate person who has certain principles and values of his own."

Hamza is adamant that what he is practicing, not preaching, is merely moderation and yet he continues to be branded as a ‘pseudo-extremist’ by ‘social media activists’. His critics believe that he puts up an act; a publicity gimmick to create a righteous image for himself.

"If I had to seek more attention, I would rather go to Bollywood, instead of deliberately creating more controversies which is just downright cheap," Hamza defends. "It’s not like I’ve just started saying these things. There is a page history on Facebook. Go all the way back to 2010 and you’ll realize I was saying exactly the same things earlier on as well. What happened is that I just became a little famous over time and hence, people started noticing it. But the truth is that I did not let fame, whatever bits of it, turn me into a coward. I would never subside or misjudge my instincts for popularity."

Is it then simply a case of being misunderstood?

"Everybody is misunderstood to some extent. Nobody is going to fully understand you and not everybody is supposed to agree with you," he responds. "The problem with our society is that we take disagreement as an insult. I may disagree with you but it in no way means that I think any less of you. For example, I disagree on a lot of things in this film with Humayun but he doesn’t get offended; he understands the spirit of disagreement. However, the minute I was self-critical in public, people misinterpreted me as well as the film thinking it’s some really vulgar project, which it isn’t. So yes I often feel misunderstood but that’s just part and parcel of being vocal."

"I’d like to add that a tolerant society does not mean that everybody agrees on everything. That is not possible. A tolerant society means that everybody is ok with disagreeing with each other," Hamza tells Instep. "That is exactly what I want to inculcate in my society. I want them to be vocal and open about disagreeing."

So for all haters and lovers alike, this is Hamza Ali Abbasi. He isn’t a present-day cleric neither does he seem to be hungry for fame. He’s just someone who has an opinion on everything and very little self-restraint on mouthing it off.

Turning the discussion to Bollywood, Hamza claims he is never going (despite having several offers) because a) he doesn’t need to and b) he’d rather stay here and "help the Pakistani industry grow". He finds cinema to be a medium of representing one’s culture and a tool for building a positive image for the nation. Item songs, he predictably adds, are not part of our culture.

"Item numbers are the cheapest form of entertainment that one can offer," Hamza elaborates. "They tend to confuse glamour with sexuality and I feel that’s very dangerous for a society like ours where there are people belonging to both extremes. Such attempts will only widen the gap between the two. Films are a great means to put our country on the world map. Now when we have that opportunity to show the world who we are, why are we copying others? Even India wants to get rid of it (item numbers). They are coming up with brilliant films like PK, Piku and Bajrangi Bhaijaan so why are we idolizing their trash?"

Item songs usually demand actresses to shake a leg in skimpier outfits, something Hamza vocally condemns. His opinions on women’s clothing, in fact, have made him a hot topic for modern-day feminists. Whether intentionally or unintentionally, most of his public statements end up reducing a woman’s existence to merely what she is wearing on screen - from Zhalay’s considerably ‘covered’ avatar for a song in Jalaibee to Ayesha Omar’s ‘Tutti Fruity’ number to the bikini clad extras in his own song. The actor, however, asserts that his debate is restricted to what is being shown on the big screen.

"Nobody has a right to tell a woman how she should conduct herself or what she should wear in her private life. But when you make something and put it on screen, then it’s not your private life and it has an impact on the society; then its public property," Hamza tries to clear the air. "I am not commenting on what a woman should wear. I am commenting on what an actress should wear. I only comment on public content. I never comment on somebody’s private life or what they do in their private capacity; that’s their business. In fact, whoever does so, like a lot of our bloggers and instagrammers, should be jailed. My point is only that films should not be promoting or encouraging such values in our country."

Despite navigating though heated debates and numerous allegations, Hamza remains level headed and polite, almost uncomfortably so. After he distills off his past responding to questions as if on a minefield, we move on to his present, which is another reason he has ascended to a whole new tier of celebrity. Jawani Phir Nahi Aani is his third film after Waar and Main Hoon Shahid Afridi and he will be shooting for the much-anticipated Maula Jutt next year. However, television has outpaced his film career. The young actor’s stint on television as the Afzal of Pyaray Afzal has landed him an LSA nomination for Best Actor, which, like most things Hamza Ali Abbasi, has come wrapped in the controversy of favouritism.

"I recently found out that I’ve been nominated and then I also found out about everything else that happened with nominations and I really feel Faysal shouldn’t have refused the nomination," Hamza talks about the LSAs and the Bashar Momin twist. "First he argued over not being nominated and then when they nominated him, he backed out. Even I took a stand for his nomination when a close relative of his messaged me on Facebook but then I was very disheartened to find out he has just refused his nomination. Actors need to appreciate all nominations and be proud of good content. Even Humsafar became a phenomenon and most nominations went to it at the time."

Pyaray Afzal has indeed brought a change in Hamza’s life - one that has transformed him from a small-time director of Kambakht to a popular face even to the "locals near Khunjrab". Speaking of Kambakht, we wonder whatever happened to the much-hyped project that has been due for a release for over two years now.

"A few of us friends made Kambakht when none of us were famous. It was just Sherry (Sheheryar Munnawar), me and a couple of close friends. It’s an extremely micro-budgeted film and we managed to complete it. But then Pyaray Afzal became a huge success and Sheheryar got famous. The film is actually very small in comparison. I am just waiting for the right time," reveals Hamza. "All I need is space where no other big film is releasing. It’s not like I don’t believe in it anymore. I love the story and the characters but it has very little production value. Recently Shah has given me some encouragement because it is also an independent film. But then Kambakht is even smaller than Shah. "

Contrary to what are known to be Hamza’s infamous principles, rumour has it that even Kambakht was to feature an item song. Does he harbor double standards?

"You can’t expect one to be born with a set ideology and maintain it for the rest of their lives. People change and grow and develop beliefs over time," Hamza begins by saying. "I did oppose the song but my opposition was a soft one. It’s a film made by four individuals and everyone has a stake in it. They wanted to add a similar song and even finalized an actress but eventually I managed to convince them otherwise on technical grounds. I was like we already don’t have money so why waste the little that we do on a song. Thankfully they agreed."

Coming back to the present, Hamza talks about why he signed up for JPNA, despite objecting to certain parts of it.

"Humayun is a very good friend and he has always  been there for me," he explains. "I refused to work in it initially but he told me how important it was for him and I’d rather not worry about my image than hurt a friend. I didn’t want him to feel that just because I have become a little famous, I am being nitpicky or giving him an attitude. Instead, I went ahead with the film and focused my energies on trying to ensure that Humayun and others don’t include such content in future. May be I’ll set off a good trend," he concludes with a smile as he walks off to complete his shot.