2016 has seen its ups and downs in terms of music, film and television and while some have fallen from grace, some individuals have boomed to success. One of the few notable names on our radar has been superstar Umair Jaswal. With his constant rising fame thanks to Coke Studio, he has been part of multiple ventures and projects this year. He was one of the ambassadors for Coca Cola, he performed at the QMobile Hum Style Awards, made a TV debut in Sarmad Khoosat’s Mor Mahal and raised his fan base even higher. We caught up with Umair to find out what he feels this year brought him, and what he is hoping to achieve in 2017.
“Well one thing I definitely want to see next year are lesser celebrities dying!†is the first thing Umair said to us.
“2016 has been an absolute roller coaster. I’ve done so many new things this year, from performances to endorsements to acting and I was lucky that it all went really well.†Umair tells us that acting was never part of his plan; he always saw himself as a musician and still does, but he kept to his resolution for 2016, which was ‘don’t say no to work’, and tried his hand at Mor Mahal which seemed like a great project to him. While the serial did not do so well amongst the masses, Umair says his acting skills got a lot of recognition and he was approached by some of the best names in the industry, so for him Mor Mahal was a great success.
“Films and television projects are quite risky, which is why I’m very picky about what I want to do, plus I don’t want to over expose myself at all because then there’s no novelty or fun in your career, and even for your fans if they see you too much.â€
We have all been hearing rumours that Umair will be starring in a film with Mawra Hocane, while Umair was careful not to give us details, he did confirm that 2017 is going to be a year for a film, and not so much TV for him. Amongst other things, he also has a US and UK music tour planned out for the coming year.
One of the most notable achievements of 2016, Umair tells us, has been his collaboration with Coca Cola and their Zalima campaign, which he feels has been massive and considers himself lucky to be a part of.
When speaking of one of the biggest issues of 2016, the Pak-India tension, Umair says that he finds it upsetting how the top tier of the Indian industry speaking up for their country is seen as patriotism, and when anyone from our side of the border does it we are called extremists. “They are no doubt a bigger and more established industry, but that should not limit us and have us stay quiet. I mean we were born here, we made our name here, it’s not just about patriotism.â€
“2016 has been a great year for the music industry. My brother Ozzy, Mooro and Noori have released albums and done great work, which I’m so happy to see.†Umair has an album in the works as well, and for him 2017 is going to be focused on that. “I’m a musician before anything else, so that’s what I want to do more than anything.â€
When speaking of who he feels did notably well for themselves this year, Umair said (with perhaps a slight bias, as he admitted) that he was very happy for Hamza Ali Abbasi’s success this year. “He’s doing a talk show, his acting has been phenomenally well too, I feel. Before anything else he’s an activist and I know him personally and I know his message is pro-humanity more than political, he has gotten in trouble only because his message is not conveyed right and gets lost in transition. I know he does the right things and I’m really happy for him.â€
Umair plans on ringing in the New Year with his close school friends. “They’ve known me before I was anything, they keep me groundedâ€. For 2017, Umair wants to focus on his music, by reaching out to his fans in areas of Sindh and Punjab where he has not been before. “I also want to travel, make time for myself and still not say no to good work!†Unlike before, Umair is up for trying his hand at new things now, he tells us, “So don’t be surprised if I end up doing something totally off either!â€
– Featured photograph by Studio Nine
