He’s almost half an hour late for the interview, perspiring from head to toe when he finally does walk in. He’s out of breath and panting, holding his sweat drenched black leather biker gloves in hand. As he sits down around a giant conference table, the first thing noticeable is his muscle tone; his biceps remind me of Popeye. This is not the Adeel Hussain that one expected. This man is not the Nadir portrayed in Ho Mann Jahaan. He seems lost in thought when he settles down but insists that all is fine. He’s a bit of a mystery but thankfully, he is eager to start the conversation and reveal a little more about who he actually is.

"The best time for an artist to come out and associate with questions is only when he is part of some credible work," he clarifies his media shyness. Adeel has always steered miles away from any media spotlight, preferring to stay in the background and opting to say less compared to others’ more. But even though he may not have pulled off a paparazzi-worthy shenanigan yet, he has all the potential to do so. In no way should he be underestimated, especially not in comparison to Shehryar Munawar, his HMJ co-star, who undeniably walked away with more attention. That, however, isn’t going to deter him from moving on to the next big thing. Fresh off the boat of HMJ’s success, he is already on the sets of his next film project and has even injured himself in a brave display of conviction.

Adeel Hussain in reel life is very different from Adeel Hussain in real life. It is hence no wonder that this young, talented actor was able to pull off such a complex, emotional character in Ho Mann Jahaan - one who is vulnerable to the pressures of his surroundings and is willing to living an emotionally deprived life to keep others happy. It is easy to play a buffoon but not easy to echo a man with emotions. In short, he is protean - ever ready to adapt to what the situation demands. Then why in an industry where fans are inundated with celebrity presence at events, parties and social media, has he remained more of a mystery? It appears he knows a thing or two about what it’s like to be unsteadied by professional disappointment - and perhaps even to be toppled by personal instances.

"When I came to Pakistan, I was not only trying to adjust to the cultural climate but also to the field I had thrown myself into so I just decided to focus solely on my work," he spoke of the time when he returned to Pakistan from Ireland in the later part of the ’90s, after spending much of his undergrad years there.

"I felt I needed that space. I had this exaggeratingly motivated mindset; an overarching passion that was in direct conflict with the laidback environment of our industry at the time and so I kept myself isolated. I had thought that since music videos like ‘Dhani’ (Strings) were being made, it was only a matter of time that people would start developing aesthetics for films too but I guess it was a slightly exaggerated assumption at my part. Also, it was hard to represent an industry that was so divided at the time and where I wasn’t able to find like-minded people. So basically I didn’t really even know what to come out and say to the media."

It would’ve been just as tough a call for anybody to make. During his early years, Adeel was actually studying to become a doctor until he hopped over to marketing in Dublin, Ireland. But it was only midway through his undergrad degree, while he was holding a camera in his hands and clicking around, that he realized he was meant to act and direct. After all, he did come from an artistically-inclined background with a couple of his maternal uncles dabbling in fine arts.

Moving base to Pakistan, he tried his hand at directing documentaries until acting opportunities came by. One thing led to another and his work on TV finally led to his big screen debut as Nadir in Ho Mann Jahan.

"I’ve really enjoyed the process and I was always optimistic about the industry coming into its own and reviving," Adeel asserted. "However, the odds never stopped me from doing what I wanted. For instance, I always wanted to direct and I would’ve still  done it had the revival not happened. Revival was an eventuality for me instead of just being a hope. The pre-revival phase was tough enough for me to train myself to pursue things with my own internal motivation. Having said that, we need to treat this revival phase with a lot of responsibility. It’s truly going to be a blessing when all kinds of people will be making all kinds of interesting films."

Did he feel that filmmakers were falling prey to clichés, stereotypes and were relying too heavily on ‘inspired’ scripts and unoriginal storylines?

"So far we haven’t had anything to talk about in the press because we’ve had no films. A few years ago our primary concern was our films even being made and movie journalists hardly had anything to write about. So a bit of gratefulness is required," Adeel remarked. "Maybe we are Bollywood-inspired but I am not going to make that call. Our sensibilities maybe similar but we are still unique as an industry. Some filmmakers may play it safe, perhaps, because of market forces but we need to be a bit easy with criticism. Certain films are meant to be a certain way. To try and define them by questioning why they aren’t so artistic is like going into American Pie and asking why isn’t this Interstellar?"

Talking about Bollywood, it’s not wrong to suggest that the introduction of Zee Zindagi has given Pakistani actors a new lease on life; opening doors across the border and allowing them to make a mark globally. Unlike his contemporaries though, Adeel wants to avoid talking about Bollywood offers and is content working in Pakistan for now.

"I don‘t want to reveal any offers because it’s kind of pretentious to say ‘oh I’ve received that many offers!’ but yes I’ve thought about it. When it happens everybody will find out but as of now I am happy with the momentum my work has here," he said. "We are exploring various stories and I am finding that more exciting. It’s harder to tackle original stories in an industry with massive potential as ours and so it’s not the best time for me to go there. But if I get an amazing offer that really interests me and has a good team, who knows."

Pakistan has undoubtedly been an exciting ride for Adeel. We have seen him in various, popular television series like More Piya, Mata-e-Jaan and Jackson Heights and now after HMJ will be seeing him in Mehreen Jabbar’s upcoming feature film Dobara Phir Se. But we can’t help but draw similarities in some of his characters that often give off a very grey, misogynistic vibe. Even while Nadir had commendable emotional layers to his personality, there was a point where he wanted Manizeh to give up on her dreams simply because he felt it was inappropriate for a woman to pursue a career in music. Back in Jackson Heights he unabashedly lured an older woman into a relationship for a US card.

"This is 2016 and I do believe that equality is best but having said that, I don’t believe in limiting stories and a story can be about a bad man or even a bad woman for that matter," Adeel emphasized. "Art needs to be free. I am in the story telling business and conflict can be part of the script. I can’t go play a baddie on sets and then come home thinking how I feel about murdering an innocent person. As a society moving forward, it’s important to criticize content but we also tend to go overboard with it."

It’s rare to engage in an intelligent conversation like this amidst the gushing positivity that actors of his caliber are often channeling and it’s even better to hear someone speak his mind as opposed to reading opinions off Facebook statuses. And the latter is never going to happen in Adeel’s case. Instagram is the only form of social media you may be able to connect through with him. He doesn’t really have time for other forms. "Social media is too time consuming and I’d rather invest that time in focusing on my work and my personal life, both of which I am passionate about," and he leaves us with that reminder.