Mohib Mirza has been a part of the entertainment industry for almost two decades. The drama-loving viewers are isn’t familiar with his talent and charisma on screen. However, recently his work has reached new heights of fame as his latest dramas — Dil Ruba and Dushman-e-Jaan — are receiving love, acclaim and appreciation from all quarters. Team Something Haute sat down for an exclusive interview with Mohib to get insight into his process.
Here are some of the most interesting things discussed during the interview:
1) His latest drama, Dushman-e-Jaan and the praise he is receiving
“I didn’t know that I’d receive so much praise. However, I’ve always believed in balancing the nature of the content I become a part of. I mean if so many shows are focusing on a woman’s problems, then if something is focusing on a man’s emotions then it’s bound to work. The pressures on a man can’t be discounted. I don’t do dramas because mostly they show the man as a villain. I always chose to do projects that show some positive contribution from a man. I can’t sleep with the idea of supporting the disturbing notion that a ‘man’ can do anything behind closed doors,” he said.
2) Did you think that what your character Hatim did in Dushman-e-Jaan was questionable?Â
“I agree that his actions had dire consequences, but he is trying to make up for it. If they hadn’t shed light on this then it would’ve been quite bad. He is disturbed because he isn’t essentially a bad person. He has just made a mistake and that’s a human trait. This is also the first time (after a long time) that I’m the only male lead in a drama. So I’ve tried to use this space completely and you can see the result,” he replied.
3) Will there be any redemption for your character in Dil Ruba after being rejected by two women?
“I strongly believe that if the writer doesn’t do that then the audience will get really angry. They might not be able to handle that. But I’m happy with what happened and I was given good moments to explore my character as well. I would’ve liked better styling for him but it is what it is and I tried my best,” Mohib said.
4) There is a beauty standard that has been set by the industry, requiring everyone to be fair with luscious hair. Have you faced discrimination because of that?Â
“This is 100 % true. However, no one ever tried to investigate this kind of complex is in this region. I thought about it a lot and I don’t think it is a problem as much. I might have been a part of discussions where my skin colour was discussed during casting and I might have not been selected because of that but that’s none of my concern. It’s colonialism that has left this mindset about white people being superior. I’d request mothers to stop looking for fair daughters-in-law to have future generations with fair skin tones because it’s an incredibly sad mentality. It’s also an unreasonable standard in this country, my skin colour is appreciated quite a lot in every other part of the world,” the actor said.
5) Have you ever faced pressure to do something about your skin colour?
“Oh yes definitely. I’ve left feature films because of this issue. The director in one situation told me that I fit the role completely, however I should just get fairness injections. I immediately declined and I made it clear that not only will I not change my skin colour but I can’t work with someone who has this mentality. And I never regretted my decision one bit,” he said.
There is so much more that was discussed including the future of cinema, his future projects and his divorce. You can watch the interview here:
