Zain Afzal is a Pakistani actor and filmmaker. He is best known for playing the role of ‘Taimur’ in the drama serial ‘Sanwari’ other than that Zain is mostly known for his comedic roles. He also acted in his new upcoming film ‘Ready Steady No’. Surkhiyan had the opportunity to interview Zain about his ambitions for his new film and what characters we can expect to see him in the future.
Surkhiyan: What are your expectations from Ready Steady No (RSN)?
Zain Afzal: RSN is a very organic film. And I really hope that it does well at the box office.
My expectations are really quite high because a lot of hard work and sincerity has gone into making this film.
Surkhiyan: What is your character like in the film?
ZA: My character is of a young Maulana Sahab. Who is perhaps the most honest character in the film and I have tried to play it with honesty and do justice to it.
Surkhiyan: What were the struggles you faced while performing your role in the movie?
ZA:The first struggle was obviously the call time. I had to wake up at 3am for my 4 am on location call time and secondly the makeover which took almost 3 hours every morning before everyone else showed up. Then there was the hurdle to find the right voice tonality & body language which I had to carry throughout the journey of the film.
Surkhiyan: What would you say about the current movies coming out from Pakistan?
ZA: Just one thing, Please do not compare our films to ANY other country’s films. WE NEED TO FIND OUR OWN NARRATIVE AS A CINEMA, which sadly we haven’t found as yet!
Surkhiyan: What is your take on the Indian cinema ban in Pakistan?
ZA: There are positives and negatives to it. First of all, there is the business side to it which will definitely get affected, but at the same time our own films will get more screen time which indeed is a positive sign. Having said that I believe we have a lot more room to fill which we can definitely fill with others e.g. Iranian cinema.
Surkhiyan: If you were to play your favourite character in a movie what would it be?
ZA: If ever there is a biopic on Shahid Afridi. I would give anything to play that character, both for the love of cinema & the sport itself.
Surkhiyan: Who’s your current favorite actor in maintaining dramas?
ZA: Shahood Alvi is my absolute favorite, even though I haven’t gotten the opportunity to work with him as yet.
Surkhiyan: Any current favorite drama or movie you have recently seen?
ZA: Currently no, but my favorite film is Training Day.
Surkhiyan: What is in the pipeline for Zain Afzal?
ZA: I’m working on two drama serials currently and another film (Senti aur mental).
Surkhiyan: Any words of advice for up and coming movie directors and script writers?
ZA: Read! Read and Read more.
We are all waiting to watch Ready Steady No with Zain Afzal in a never-before seen character. We wish him the best of luck for his film and his future endeavours.
