In conversation with Adnan Samad Khan aka Gulzar from Ehd-e-Wafa

There’s a horde of actors who play supporting roles to the protagonists — like the hero’s friend, sidekick, a nosey neighbor or cousin – who, despite being not an integral part of the story, give a new lease of life to the story. Majority of the times these roles are superficial and go unnoticed. But every once in a while, an underrated and unrecognizable face outshines his contemporaries; consuming the screen and captivating the audience. One such recent debutant is Adnan Samad Khan aka Gulzar of Ehd-e-Wafa.

Something Haute finally got hold of the actor who is one of the contributing factors in making Ehd-e-Wafa unforgettable. Though he is a new face for the industry, his passion for acting isn’t new; in fact he is a graduate from National Academy of Performing Arts.

“Acting was the only thing I really enjoyed since I was a kid, but after intermediate I took the decision of doing this for the rest of my life. I am a graduate of NAPA in theatrical arts with a major in acting,” he says.

Adnan shared that Ehd-e-Wafa is his first project on television, but he has been acting for a long time. Hailing from Taunsa Sharif like his character, Adnan, who had worked hard to lose his Saraiki accent while acting in NAPA, had to pick up on the same tone for his first drama.

“Ehd-e-Wafa is my first project on screen. I have done theatre for four years now. Theatre is basically a training ground for an actor so theatre will be my first love always,” he added.

Gulzar and Saad in Ehd-e-Wafa

Read: Ehd-e-Wafa finale advocates the alliance of four pillars of the state

Talking about his experience of working in the ISPR project, the actor was all praises. Undoubtedly it’s a one-of-a-kind experience to launch your career with such promising cast, a great director and inspiring story. Though as Gulzar, Adnan shared majority of his scenes with Ahad Raza Mir (who played Saad), the overall feeling of playing a soldier must be surreal.

“It was a type of experience (i.e. playing a soldier) you can never forget. This being my first project is something that will always remain close to my heart. Ahad is a wonderful person and working with him was a lovely experience as well,” he shared.

Indeed Gulzar is one of those characters who will remain with us for a long time. While watching Ehd-e-Wafa, people used to give examples of Shoaib Mansoor’s Alpha Bravo Charlie and the iconic Gulsher. Well, if not entirely like him but Saife Hassan managed to give viewers someone as naïve, cheerful and humble in the form of Gulzar.

We asked Adnan if he played Gulzar in his own style or if it was just written so well?

“It was written very beautifully but what’s amazing about this character is the arc. He is a nobody who comes from nowhere and struggles to make his name in the society which he achieves with his hard work and completely transforms into a new person in the process,” he said.

From military academy training, boxing competitions to comic one-liners, songs of Attaullah Esa Khelvi and camaraderie with the troops, every scene in his debut drama was knitted with passion. As expected, Adnan cannot pick one memory that he will cherish from the shoot.

For him, “Ehd-e-Wafa the whole package was a memorable experience and I will always cherish every moment of it.”

Now after having first-hand experiences of performing in theater as well as television, what would be Adnan’s medium of choice?

“I love and enjoy theatre and screen equally. But in theatre you get the audience’s response right away while on screen you have to wait for some time so this point goes to theatre. Also, the love of audience is the only thing that matters for an actor but screen has a big viewership, which means more love so they both are equally enjoyable and important in their own ways,” he added.

Adnan (middle) in a theater play

Adnan has set the bar very high for himself by making us laugh with his debut performance; he even impressed us in the last episode’s emotional bits so we are looking forward to experiencing his full range of acting. He isn’t quite sure what’s next on his plate but he left us with a promise that “hopefully you will see me on the screen but it will be something different than Gulzar.”