Fortunately, these two movie stars didn't have to fake anything for their new movie since chemistry is something you can't fake.
I'm waiting for Mahira Khan and Fahad Mustafa on Zoom at 10 a.m. in Houston and 7 p.m. in Karachi. Since 10 am, the two have been conducting back-to-back interviews to promote their newest movie, Quaid-e-Azam Zindabad. The two have spent the last month living a hectic schedule known in the entertainment industry as a press junket, and it's just getting started. The two will be travelling to Dubai and then the US by the time you finish reading this.
Khan and Mustafa suddenly appear on my screen. Even after a day of questioning by journalists, Khan is sporting her trademark hairdo and makeup-free appearance, and Mustafa looks effortlessly cool in a blue button-down.
We start to get serious when I ask Khan what inquiries she would make of Pakistan's founding father, Quaid-e-Azam, if they were to have a meal. She pauses for a moment and muses, "I suppose I'd want to ask: where did we go wrong? What one thing are we doing well, then?
Covid and cinema
Covid-19 had a significant impact on the Pakistani film business, as it did on all film industries across the world. Filming ceased as actors and directors were sent home, along with the rest of us. Money for independent projects ran out. Additionally, movies with a 2020 release date were postponed until a time when moviegoers felt more secure coming to crowded theatres.
Nobody could have foreseen the fundamental shift in viewers' viewing patterns that would occur.
"Cinema has lost ground to social media and the ongoing and immediate content generation. Cinema, however, is revolutionary. The cinematic experience is crucial for this reason, according to Mustafa, an actor and talk show host who also owns a production company that produces an astounding 100 drama serials each year.
The QAZ team is well aware that luring people back into crowded movie theatres, where a ticket costs much more per person than a streaming service membership, from the comfort of their homes is no easy task. In fact, movie theatre attendance is still less than half of what it was before Covid-19, despite the pandemic being in its third year and social restrictions being much more eased. Additionally, others claim that a portion of the movie theatre industry may be permanently lost as a result of the large number of filmmakers and production companies delivering content directly to streaming giants like Netflix and Amazon.
But some film experiences—including Quaid-e-Azam Zindabad, in Mustafa's opinion—are meant to be viewed on a big screen. "The picture has to be larger than life," he says me, "in order to entice people out of their houses, away from their phone screens."
When Mahira met Fahad
The extended-cut trailer undoubtedly makes a big-screen, epic experience sound appealing. There are car explosions and a battle scenario taking place aboard a freight plane with its doors wide open. A subject of bribery and corruption is hinted at by the numerous stacks of cash. Even a lion on a leash is present. Imagine Dabangg crossed with the Fast and Furious series, but with a more attractive cast.
According to Khan, there was a certain point in the narration of the movie when he realised he wanted to be involved. "I wanted to be a part of a picture that I can be proud of, as well as an entertainment spectacular. That is unusual.
Being the protagonist of the movie was a given for Mustafa because of his long-standing friendship with the writer and director Fizza Ali Meerza and Nabeel Qureshi. He signed on before the script was even finished because the group had previously collaborated on blockbusters like Na Maloom Afrad, Actor in Law, and Load Wedding.
However, the directors decided to keep the identity of his starring lady a secret so Mustafa would be surprised.
"I had an inkling that Mahira might be the culprit. But she might decide to back out," Mustafa adds, just partly joking. "I first started to believe it the day she showed up on set. I've worked with pretty much everyone. The chance to work with Mahira was — and remains — the one thing that surprised me.
But the strain that came with having Khan as his leading woman was very high. Mustafa has repeatedly been harassed with (frankly, ridiculous) questions about how he feels following in the footsteps of Fawad Khan and Shahrukh Khan during the interview circuit because a significant portion of the "Mahira Khan effect" lies in her undeniable chemistry with whoever she shares the screen with.
I don't want to bring up Khan or Mustafa's previous relationships during our interview. I am curious as to how the pair managed to develop chemistry given that they had never really met as coworkers or even as acquaintances before the filming. Both of them claim that studying chemistry wasn't very difficult.
Mustafa claims that "everyone wanted Mahira and I to collaborate." "I wanted to do it perfectly because I didn't want us to look out of place." Khan responds by saying, "There are performers who may sense chemistry while filming, but it might not show up on screen. You can't be sure. Simply be truthful with what has been provided to you. Definitely not something we tried
The chemistry between the two is evident when observing them in person. Not only do I think they'll make wonderful on-screen lovers, but it also seems like they've grown close friends.
"Fahad has such a dry sense of humour. I enjoy it. That is how my family and close friends are. That distinguishes him from other people. He'll destroy you with a straight face, declares Khan.
Mustafa claims to have been surprised by Khan's laid-back demeanour.
"I've collaborated with many people, both as a producer and as a performer. Eyes are unable to lie. What kind of person is standing in front of you can be determined. She seems sincere to me, and she is surrounded by a lot of good energy. In my life, I've encountered a lot of false people. Perhaps that's why we connected. We are simply who we are, he claims. "Apne dil ki suno [listen to your heart]" is the one piece of advise I would give Mahira.
In another life
The team's labour of love is currently over because the release date is just days away. All they can do at this point is wait and see whether Pakistani viewers will show up to support homegrown films in the same way they do for foreign ones, or whether people will finally decide to wait till the movie can be watched at home. The ultimate question is whether we are prepared to make time and spend money for a really distraction-free, immersive experience, given that a number of movies are coming out this Eidul Azha and the horrors of the pandemic are a somewhat distant memory.
Only time will tell, as the proverbial saying goes.
For the time being, Mustafa and Khan intend to take advantage of any rare free time.
Sincerely, I enjoy doing nothing on my days off. I listen to vintage music. I watch a programme. I light the candle. I'll have my Amma and Abba listen. I'll then hold Azlan close. Khan, who has just finished binge-watching the "excellent" movie The Offer, says, "I'll just enter a zone. She has since begun watching The Staircase, but Mustafa, who is currently watching Peaky Blinders, suggests Panchayat on Amazon India to both of us.
Sleep is Mustafa's idea of relaxation. plenty of it.
He claims, "I can sleep 18 to 19 hours a day." "When people first meet me, they anticipate that I'll be a funny, gregarious guy. Even though I'm shy, you wouldn't know it to meet me.
The pandemic-era lockdowns, according to Mustafa, who believes he may have been a chef in a previous existence and who even includes melancholy music on his workout mix, offered some unanticipated moments of joy and tranquilly.
"I like to shop at malls. I wish I could spend all day in the mall. Oddly enough, I had the chance to appreciate that during Covid-19. I went everywhere, running errands, shopping, and even taking a stroll through Lahore.
Khan agrees: "One day you realise you can't do normal activities or go out normally." Khan believes she would have become a fantastic architect in a past life and wishes the public would be more understanding of her at periods when she's not so wonderfully eloquent. However, you must take certain actions anyway. I still enjoy visiting the mall. possibly not as frequently. However, I still prefer to lead a routine existence.
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