Ace designer Hassan Sheheryar Yaseen aka HSY is known for his mastery over all things fashion and glamour, but who knew he could also act? The designer recently made his acting debut in Maya Ali and Sheheryar Munawar starrer Pehli Si Muhabbat and has been receiving applauses for his performance so far, thus cementing his position as a multi-talented artist.
Earlier, HSY has hosted celebrity talk shows and not many were fan of his command over Urdu, which should be a prerequisite for aspiring actors who want to be a part of Pakistani dramas. In an interview with Something Haute, the designer revealed that he didn’t shy away from his shortcomings and hence he decided to learn the language for his debut.
“I knew that people will criticize my Urdu so I took Urdu classes for three months; four hours every night including Sundays. And I have to give credit to Abdullah Seja and Anjum Shahzad as they had someone to guide me on the set as well. Faiza Iftikhar has written a beautiful script but I didn’t know what half of those lines and words mean. But I worked on every single aspect of it — from the language and accent to his built and persona. I knew that Akram has to look a certain way and I did my best to make it real,” HSY shared.
What HSY aspired to be as a kid?
“I wanted to be successful. I was a kid who was raised by a single mother so at quite a young age, I learnt about budgeting. I was keen to learn about different elements of entertainment; people call me a showman and maybe I’m because I enjoy storytelling whether it is fashion or a talk show. I don’t think that anybody is born with a tag on their heads that for instance, they can only be a ‘designer’. The goal is to have a lot of experiences that enrich you,” he said.
Why did you choose Akram for your debut?
“I never wanted to act because I never had the time. I did my part in Muhib Mirza’s film — Ishrat Made in China — only because he told me that he wrote that role with me in mind. I didn’t believe him but he showed my all the character sketches and I realized that it was me. I was so flattered that if a talented actor like him can imagine me in a role that I should avail this new path to learn. However, it was a tough movie to make; Muhib and I did our stunts ourselves and we were hospitalized a few times and then I decided never to go down the path again. Just like that, I was asked to play Akram and I was excited to hear names like Anjum Shahzad, Maya and Sheheryar,” he said.
HSY as Akram in Pehli Si Muhabbat
“Although while we were discussing the story on a video call, I had this expression of amazement that how can these guys imagine me as Akram? All of them told me that if I play myself, where is the surprise element. So, I asked that if I suck can they just cut my role and they told me that I have the third lead character which is pivotal to the story,” he added.
Watch the full interview to find whether Akram is a villain, more about Ishrat Made in China, his new studio in Lahore and his obsession with singing:
