Directors with a difference
CH. YASIR NISAR
The creative duo Muhammed Usman and Zulfiqar Ali today needs no introduction. After having directed a number of plays, the creative duo is known for doing a bit different work from current breed of directors. They both are quite optimistic about themselves and their entry in the showbiz. They are one of those few people who have got the essential training and skills needed for direction as they have been in this field for the last fifteen years and in this time they have remained attached to one of the two big directors in the history of Pakistan.
One of those prominent names is no doubt of late Nazar-ul-Islam, who is known as the gem of the Lollywood. The both assisted them for a number of years and they attribute their success to their teacher late Nazar-ul-Islam. They both started their directional debut with Zaroorat , a Munno Bhai play in 95. Aashiana whose reasons of success are still unknown to the many people and lately Bulandi and Marasim followed it. In a recent meeting with Midweek , the twosome talked at length about their future plays, their reason of success and the problems they as being the director.
Every one has an inspiration and has a teacher and he is the person who has a major hand in making some one good director, when asked the dude who they are the forces behind them, the duo remarked, "Our teacher Nazar-ul-Islam who remained one of the biggest director of Pakistan. We did our first movie Aaina as the assistant director with him while our last movie till date was too under his direction. He taught us all the things from A to Z. he taught us how to live here, he taught us the way to deal with all persons. And we think that what whatever we are today we are because of him.
There is a popular belief in showbiz circles that good directors don't teach properly to their assistants and their juniors. Then how Late Nazar-ul-Islam as you mentioned being your teacher guided you all the things? "As a matter of fact those who say that seniors don't teach are all rubbish. Because we remember Nazar-ul-Islam used to say that the knowledge one gets must be imparted to others so that it may reach to others too and that is what we believe in. Imparting what we have learned from him to our assistants, juniors and budding youngsters. Our productions are no doubt a proof of what we try to impart as every time we come up with new youngsters and try to guide them fully. No doubts there are people too who feel worried about the very fact that may their own students and assistants not beat them. But in fact these people don't know any thing and don't even want to give that to the people deserved."
After having giving hit serials like Aashiana and Bulandi, they still feel that they have not created much of a difference but it has given them a lot of margin to work on various sensitive issues. They prefer working on sensitive subjects one that are occasionally not taken that seriously but are very important. Aashiana was not that a serious topic but it dealt with a family and we love making family-oriented plays and that is why get major applause. On the same side Bulandi too was a family subject but that was a different. It also dealt with the psyche of young generation and their aims of earning money in a more similar fashion. We usually try to make plays on the topics of youth because it is the age that is centered by every one. If it is old, he will remember his age and if some one is a child he will imagine the good time about youth. So, our main target is always youth. For a good and sound play, a strong story is a must. So we give utmost importance to story than any other thing under the sun. We normally work on complex story one that has a margin of a lot of things. So, we experiment with a lot of things. We study script and then work on it that means we nearly rewrite the whole script.
"Then we start our process of selecting cast and for that we never comprise with the character and look for the perfect cast. We try to at least fulfill the demand of our character no matter what would happen. Then comes the process of selecting the locations for our work and for that we look and do our complete homework. When we complete homework we go for shot and do it with full energy."
While talking about censor policies, Muhammed Usman was of the view that "I think there are places where we feel restrictions awful. But no doubt there is a little more relaxation being given them than previously. It has changed a lot. But still it must remain in a limit where we can watch our plays with our whole family with feeling ashamed. They don't rely mainly on big faces and that is why every next of theirs offers a new comer, We believe in introducing promising youngsters in our productions as we know that they are the people who have replace the older faces.
While talking about the problems they are being mainly facing, the duo expressed, "Finding good and fresh faces, like the one that can carry a play on their shoulders. This time too we have a very tough time finding new girls and even boys that can give a fresh look and act in a very good manner. The thing is that the girls and the boys who join acting are not demanded while those who have something in them refuse to join. This thinking must be changed because now more and more people from good families are joining showbiz. If someone think that he or she is good enough to carry a play on his/her shoulders then they must try to contact us."
The duo is working on a host of plays these days, including their most talked about plays Sawan and Dharkan . "Both of them have a very sound script one that can be breath of fresh air, Sawan is a project of TV2 in which Kashif Mehmood, Sawera Nadeem, Saira Khan, Qavi Khan are among the lead, while Dharkan is a production of Rafique Warraich in which a host of stars like Saadia Hussain, Tauqeer Nasir, Azra Siddiqui, Uzma Gilani, Farhana Maqsood, Sanam Iqbal, Zeb Ch. And Suhail Asghar from Lahore and Karachi are acting. Both the plays are complete are just waiting their turn to be on aired. May be by the end of this month Dharkan goes on air on Channel 3 and PTV. "Along with that we have another home production with a similar team of Bulandi and the play has been titled as Deewane, while another play of Satish Anand and a play from Qavi Khan is also in the pipe line.
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