At a time in Pakistan when music isn’t doing much for musicians, it’s understandable when they switch from making music to hitting the small/big screens. Although not everyone is suited for acting, being a known face makes it easier to get acting offers, which is why not all singers who decided to start acting have done a good job and we sometimes wish they had stuck to what they know best.
Fawad Khan
Fawad Khan is one of the most famous singer turned actors – although that is also debatable since we can’t be entirely sure if EP the band came first, or his acting stint in Jutt and Bond. Nevertheless, Fawad was more well known for his musical career, being the lead singer of one of the most popular rock bands in the early 2000s, and while he had a great voice that we hope he’ll turn to again, we are also so glad that he switched to the other side! Fawad made his film debut in Khuda Kay Liye (a role which Ali Zafar turned down) and rose to fame with Humsafar of course. He made a fantastic debut in Bollywood with Khoobsurat and since then has proven his acting chops in his latest film, Kapoor and Sons, where he really held his own amongst some of Bollywood’s biggest names.
Ali Zafar
At first we were quite excited to see Ali Zafar hitting the bigger screen (Bollywood) with his hilarious film, Tere Bin Laden and there’s no denying that he’s the person who opened the corridor to Bollywood for many stars to come. Of course, Ali Zafar has all essential ingredients to being a true star: good looking, charming, he can dance and sing as well. Therefore we expected his career in acting to become quite big. But unfortunately, perhaps a few bad choices made his promising beginning lose traction. Films like London Paris New York and Total Siyapaa weren’t the best, making us think that we preferred him behind the mike.
Junaid Khan
Now this one is confusing because Junaid is okay at both things. He started off his career as a lead singer in the band Call and set the tone for the grungy vibe of the band with his raspy vocals. The band had quite a badass image, thanks to the music videos and content of their music. Then the band started making chocolatey Bollywood songs and commercial jingles, losing their rock image and upsetting many fans. Therefore when Junaid Khan made the shift to the acting side of things, he did embrace the chocolatey side of things by brushing up his styling and choosing to act in drama serials such as Dil-e-Beqarar. While he has recently started doing concerts again, I feel that his image has become rather conflicted- the rockstar versus the chocolate hero. Therefore we wish he would stick to one thing and really own it.
Atif Aslam
Atif Aslam is perhaps one of the biggest stars of Pakistan, even India actually. He instantly had the industry with his vocals in his band Jal’s first song ‘Aadat‘, before he and Goher Mumtaz went separate ways. Atif Aslam has since then made his place as a singer, striking some fantastic international collaborations and delivering some of Coke Studio’s biggest hits, with the latest one being his rendition of ‘Tajdar-e-Haram’. He’s also Bollywood’s go to singer for romantic ballads. However, we don’t understand why he would feel the need to try acting in Bol. His acting was stiff and robotic, and not very convincing. Perhaps that’s why we didn’t see him in another acting gig again (thank God!)
Umair Jaswal
Umair Jaswal is the latest addition to the singer-turned-actor bandwagon. He started off with his band, Qayyas, and is famous for his high notes, that sometimes work (in ‘Charkha Nolakha‘, against Atif Aslam, Umair Jaswal stood out and was even better than Atif Aslam! However, in ‘Sammi Meri Waar‘ others beg to differ.) He landed his first acting job in Mor Mahal, Geo TV’s biggest production to date, which could be a good thing or bad. Good because he got a chance to be a part of such a huge production, bad because we can imagine the pressure he must be under to really deliver a good performance. While it’s soon to say whether his acting is better than his singing, so far his acting on the drama is not looking too promising. We feel that the role is much too large for someone who is trying acting for the first time.
