Pakistan makes cheap dramas and yet they are widely watched: Humayun Saeed

Express Tribune

5 days ago

With the release of Love Guru last month and Main Manto Nahi Hoon airing this Friday, Humayun Saeed reflected on what keeps him motivated to entertain the Pakistani audience. The actor appeared in an episode of Geo Podcast with Mubashir on Friday, where he talked about his love for cinema and how he acted in his first drama while working at a factory.
'I was a general manager and made sure shipments were released on time. My brother was paralysed at the time so I needed the money. That factory really taught me how to work hard,' said Saeed. 'At the same factory I once acted in a play at a celebration party and my boss, who was a part time model, suggested that I act in TV dramas. He referred me to a couple of places and I did my first drama, Karoron Ka Aadmi in 1995.'
'My father was a religious man. He would not have approved of acting so I hid my first TV drama from him.' he laughingly recalled. 'Eventually people started telling him, 'Your son looked good on TV', and my secret was out!'
Saeed moved on from it after his first project. 'I forgot about acting after my first job, I thought that was it. But after a few days, I started getting more offers.' said Saeed. 'I left my job at the factory then and shifted to acting.'
Launching local films
Saeed was one of the first actor-producers to give Pakistani feature films a try. His films Main Hoon Shahid Afridi and Jawani Phir Nahi Aani were released in 2013 and 2015, respectively. 'They were a risk at that time,' he shared. 'I invested Rs700,000 in the first film and did not make as much in return. People were quizzical about this decision but I kept creating more.'
'And I was right,' he added. ' I put in Rs600,000 into making Jawani Phir Nahi Aani and it made around Rs5 million at the box office. The film was not dead. People were interested in watching if given the right content.'
The actor was nervous about making another feature hit after the first one.'Jawani Phir Nahi Aani had four male leads so it had more chances of being a success,' Saeed remarked. 'I had to do a solo male lead film after that and people challenged me. 'Let's see if you can make this work,' they said - and I did make it work. Punjab Nahi Jaungi then released worldwide in 2017 and it made even more than the first two.'
The producer shared his two cents about recent India-Pakistan tensions as well. 'It was really upsetting that Sardaar Ji 3 did not release in India just because it had a Pakistani actor. Hania Amir was casted when relations between the two countries were good. Imagine the financial loss it must have been for the producers, it's extremely sad,' he said.
Insights on Pakistani TV industry
Regarding his three-decade experience in TV, he said, 'Pakistan makes some of the cheapest dramas cost wise around the world. Yet they are still watched so much.'
Saeed played Lady Diana's love interest, Dr. Hasnat, in UK based Netflix series The Crown, in 2022. 'While I was working for the team, I saw that the show was directed by five different directors. Each director came with their own team that had people to research and make the creative decisions. That takes money,' noted the actor.
'Pakistan does not currently invest on that big of a scale on TV dramas. Imagine how far our TV shows will go if we put in that much money too. And we aren't short of talent,' added Saeed.
Talking further about his role as Dr. Hasnat, the star recalled, 'I had COVID-19 when I was asked to audition for The Crown. They gave me the script and told me to record myself playing the scene. I was asked not to tell anyone else about it.'
'They really loved my work,' he continued. 'I gave a second audition but then didn't hear back for a while. I thought the role was given to someone else. Twenty days later, I received a call. I had bagged it!'
Saeed smiled and shared, 'While I prefer to work in my own country, I was really proud to play a Pakistani character. Moreover, working in Hollywood was an experience of its own. I was really nervous because my part had a kissing scene too. But the team was really confident in my skills and it ended up going well.'
Saeed is all set to appear in Main Manto Nahi Hoon alongside Sanam Saeed and Sajal Ali. His film opposite Mahira Khan, Love Guru was released on June 6 and is playing successfully in cinemas worldwide.
For future, Saeed eagerly revealed, 'I have a couple of dramas lined up that will be completed soon. I am also aiming to release at least two movies this year, one romantic and one action. I want to play the lead in both.'