Hamza wants you to ‘desexualize’ him

He’s one of the hautest actors around, talented, good looking and highly sought after, and yet Hamza Ali Abbasi has been making conscious efforts to ‘desexualize’ himself. At a time when good looks and sex appeal equate directly to screen popularity (what is a star if not sexy, after all?), Hamza says that he wants to avoid being objectified and itemized.

Let’s take a look at the trajectory of his career. If you look at his films, his breakthrough performance came as the hot headed and righteous Maulvi Majeed in Main Hoon Shahid Afridi. The same year (2013) he played Ayesha Khan’s brother, Ehtisham, in Waar. And he embraced martyrdom in the film. Hamza’s very brief cameo in Ho Mann Jahan was as a malang baba (a very good one at that) and the only frivolous role he played was as Saif, in Jawani Phir Nahin Aani, which he claimed to regret doing as soon as trailers released, portraying him as a bikini-ogling philanderer. Never again, he said. On television, everyone watched his asexual character in Pyare Afzal and even in Mann Mayal, in which he was more father-figure than romantic hero.

We caught Hamza somewhere between Chicago and Karachi, as he was returning from a charity event in the US. Was this desexualization deliberate?

“Yep, very consciously,” he promptly replied. “Because over the years, as I am growing up, I have come to disagree with sexualization on the media.”

Young girls need heroes to worship and dream about. It’s part of cinema magic. Don’t you think you’re depriving your fans of hero-worshipping dreams, I asked?

“(TV and film) is a public medium and selling sex on a public platform has a profound negative impact on society,” he responded. “It’s ethically, morally and religiously wrong and professionally the lowest form of art. If I am to be idealized as a hero by ladies… it should be more due to my traits and qualities of the characters I play rather than purely physical attributes and appearance.

I don’t mind romance… there can’t be a story without romance and songs and music. But we often sexualize romance and songs. I want to stay away from that.”

We continued the conversation with his next film, Parwaz Hai Junoon, an Air Force film that will release next year. Incidentally, two of Hamza’s films will release next year: Parwaz Hai Junoon and Maula Jutt, in which he will be essaying the role of Noori Nath opposite Fawad Khan.

“Songs are becoming item numbers these days,” he continued in the same strain. “Men are hitting on and objectifying women in the name of romance. But yes, romance is essential hence you’ll see a great romantic storyline in my Air Force film. I am all up for romance without sexualization.”

If you look at Hamza Ali Abbasi’s films, his breakthrough performance came as the hot headed and righteous Maulvi Majeed in Main Hoon Shahid Afridi.

And which hero, in his opinion, fell under that category?

“Dilip Kumar,” he replied after thinking, I would presume, with a smile.

So, the million dollar question…Hamza has made his ideal of nationalism very public, he’s vocally pro-Imran Khan and his entire persona – the sobering up and even dress code (he only wears the traditional shalwar kameez in public) points at one thing: does Hamza Ali Abbasi want to become an actor on a political canvas. Meaning, is he inching towards a career in politics?

“It’s not for PTI or a political career,” he said. “Maybe it’s because I feel more responsible for my actions on screen as it has an impact on society. Also, maybe I am getting close to religion. I don’t want to do anything that would embarrass me in front of my mother and sister and my future kids.”

I have to say that Hamza will probably be all the more popular for sticking to his principles and morals. The religious card too is a guaranteed fan magnet in Pakistan. He’s a terrific actor and we just hope he doesn’t bury his starry charisma somewhere between Maulvi Majeed and Malang Baba. And if he’s holding Dilip Kumar as an example, then that is definitely something we can happily come to terms with.