There are some artists who are responsible for the rise and existence of our local entertainment industry. Through sheer hard work, dedication and skill, they’ve laid the foundation of TV, stage and films for future generations. Waseem Abbas is one such living legend who has almost 40 years of experience and his body of work speaks for itself.
Unlike many who say they stumbled upon this field, Waseem Abbas was always sure that he wanted to become an actor and he continues to stay sincere to his passion and occupation.
In conversation with Hassan Choudary of Something Haute, the legendary actor shared his wealth of knowledge about – and experience in – Pakistan’s film, theatre & TV industries. With a body of work spanning over four decades, his suggestions and advice for the current lot of actors, writers, directors and producers are extremely valuable and in it are several lessons for the audience as well.
Hassan Choudary and Waseem Abbas
“When you minus the script, you can not save a project from destruction,” he said speaking of one thing that can and should never be compromised when generating content for any medium (TV/stage/film). “Theatre lost its charm and value because the script was compromised and the same had happened to films once ‘businessmen’ took over and replaced ‘artists’.”
Contentwise we’re seeing the same happen to TV now. “We all fear this for the television industry and if we still don’t, we should,” he said explaining that we have seen the downfall of stage and film and now we see a similar trend in the TV industry where content is compromised for ratings.
Watch the complete interview here:
