Imran Abbas has been a familiar face in the entertainment industry for over two decades now and he still enjoys being one of the heartthrobs. He has successfully made a name for himself in the local industry as well as across the border in Bollywood, so we wanted to know how he manages to stay on top of the game.
To get some answers about his career and his currently on air drama Thora Sa Haq, Team Something Haute sat down for an exclusive interview with Imran Abbas. Here are some excerpts from the interesting conversation:
What do you think about your character, Zamin’s antics in Thora Sa Haq? How did you decide to agree to this play?
“Actually, I believe that the era of PTV was the best for a series. They had 13 episodes and it was good for the story. Now the situation is as such that they have to stretch the story and the result is in front of you,” he said. Talking about the story, he added, “Why doesn’t Seher just leave Zamin? It’s not fair to him. Instead of living a life where she is being constantly disrespected, she should just live in a hostel somewhere.”
Is it possible for one man to love different women at the same time?
“No, I don’t think so. If it’s LOVE then at one point you can’t juggle it with two people. Love occupies a huge part of your life and it leaves no room for a third person. If you think you’re in love with two people then you need to check within yourself because something isn’t right there. Love can happen again though. If I look back at myself from five years ago, I would question whether I was the same person that I am now. But yes, you can fall out and in love with another person but not with two at the same time,” he replied.
If you’re in a committed relationship like Zamin, what would your moral obligation be in his situation?Â
“I think his mistake was that he should’ve taken Hareem into confidence because she is shown to be a strong character. But, alas a person makes mistakes and look at where his mistakes got him. He’s living in a small apartment and working at a mediocre place whereas he was living in a big place and had a good career before,” Imran replied.
Why don’t you work in Pakistani films? Haven’t you found a story that you’d like?
“Even now I’m getting offers for films. I have three scripts right now that I’m considering. These are films that are yet to be made; there are also many that got made and I didn’t want to do them. But generally, I consider that the drama industry is much bigger than the film industry. Even financially, filmmakers are more worried about money. Also, the risk with films is much higher because if they fail then even the drama industry is hesitant to sign you. From the position of an earner, I have to consider the financial aspect of things, even if I don’t like the project as such,” he said.
Talking about his work in Bollywood and the films he missed out on, Imran said, “I also make mistakes in choosing films. I was offered Aashiqui 2 but I rejected it and I regretted it later on of course. The reason was that I was in a verbal contract with Akshay Kumar that he’d launch my career so I had to let go of projects like Aashiqui 2 and Ram-leela.”
A lot of people believe that actors get work because of their looks. Do you feel objectified when that happens?
“Yes, I feel that’s the case many times. Sometimes I believe my acting isn’t taken as seriously as my looks. Many times people say that I probably get work based on my looks. I tell people that you know, I’m an average looking man and I’ve been in the industry for about 17 years now so there must be something there right. How long can I actually exploit the physical aspect of my personality?” he asked rhetorically.
There was so much more discussed including his journey in the industry in the last decade, his struggles with family tragedies, why his make-up seems so prominent on-screen and his future projects. To catch up, you can watch the complete interview here:
