‘Actors aren’t robots’ – Mohammed Ehteshamuddin

Actor-director Mohammed Ehteshamuddin is certainly one of the leading directors the industry has today. After directing popular TV plays like Sadqay Tumhare, Aseer Zadi, Udaari and most recently, Aangan, he is making his big screen debut with Superstar that is releasing on Eid ul Azha. The film stars Mahira Khan and Bilal Ashraf in lead roles and is scheduled to premiere in Karachi tonight.Instep recently caught up with Mohammed Ehteshamuddin at the press junket in Karachi during the film’s promotions. Given the appreciation the film’s trailer and songs have been receiving, he is hoping that the audience will like it; he admits that it’s the opinion of the masses that matters to him the most.“I will judge whether the film is good or not when I step out of Capri Cinema; for me, what matters is if the masses like it or not and I’ll be happy if they do,” he asserted, adding, “Superstar is a pure, simple love story with some good moments. The story has a heart that’s beating and people will feel it. It is in pure form.”Speaking of his transition from television to film, Ehteshamuddin shared that he always wanted to make a film. However, he didn’t think he would direct someone else’s script; he shared that he is also writing a few film scripts.“I am grateful that I got this opportunity as a lot of people who are ahead of me have wanted to make a film but have not been able to,” he noted. “It is a different medium but I was trained for filmmaking while directing for television. Film has its dynamics; the scale is huge. The way I tell a story on television - where I don’t go overboard and do as much as needed - I have done the same in the film. I feel all of my actors are important to me; I try that they understand the character and play it as per their understanding. I explain things to them and let them do the rest. They aren’t robots; I have to make them relate to the characters emotionally.”Superstar is releasing with two other local films – Heer Maan Ja and Parey Hut Love – and Ehteshamuddin has a cameo in one of them (PHL). When asked about three films releasing simultaneously, the actor-director stressed that we all are working towards the same purpose and that is taking Pakistani cinema forward. He wishes all the luck to the other films and he is even thankful to Ali Rehman Khan and Hareem Farooq for showing up at the trailer launch of Superstar last month.“We are with each other, it is our industry and things will get better with time,” he maintained, adding that our films have mass appeal, which is why most of us schedule film releases for the holiday season. “We just have Eid holidays to release all our films but when more films will come out, we will release them otherwise; like Teefa In Trouble and Baaji. Being a director, I don’t understand the business module but I feel what all of us want right now is revival – to pull viewers to cinemas and develop a trust where they want to get out of their homes to watch a Pakistani film.”“Unfortunately, our cinemas were running due to Bollywood and Hollywood films,” he continued. “Even if we are not showing Bollywood films right now, we can at least create our own cinema. It will take time and we will have challenges but eventually it will expand. I salute all the producers who are investing their money and I would like to urge the government to reduce taxes on entertainment and cut ticket cost so families can go to cinemas.”On a parting note, Ehteshamuddin spoke about working with Mahira, who he earlier worked with in Sadqay Tumhare. While he thinks Mahira’s focus has improved over the years, he shared that she has always been very hard working.“I wanted to work more with her, even in Aangan, but she didn’t have the time. When we worked together for Superstar after a gap, I really enjoyed it. She was on board before me; this character was exclusively written for Mahira while I was offered the film later. She knew more about the film and also briefed me at a few instances,” he concluded.

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