Generally in life, transition sounds quite normal. However, in our showbiz industry an artiste€™s transition to the tube from the big screen is often taken as if something weird has happened with his career. Whereas if a television artiste joins the big screen, he is being greeted with all possible applause whether he makes it big over there or not. Unlike many film stars who prefer not to work for the television during their career graph, Faisal Qureshi is one such name who made his smooth transition to the television and wasn€™t afraid of the usual criticism that was likely to come his way.
Today his name is taken among the artistes who are considered conditionally essential for the hits and that is perhaps what his destination was. But even today he feels as if he is still a passenger and thousands of miles are ahead of him. He would have to cover these miles to feel satisfied over what he has delivered so far. €œIn any field of performing arts one thing unfolds another and you start feeling as if you are still where you actually started from. I have performed a variety of roles but still each character requires you to be different from the first. An artiste€™s job is to identify that thin line which borders one character from the other and once that is determined and successfully portrayed, it would register the impact convincingly.€
For Faisal the definition of a good role is one which has in store, a good deal of substance to offer. €œIt€™s not the question whether the role is meaty one or the leading one. Infact the important thing is to identify where the role exists in the main story and how significant is the impact of that particular character that you are supposed to portray. A small role may even do much more than that of a leading one if narrated perfectly goes well with the flow of the story and if performed well. I guess an artiste should keep the significance of a role first before signing it rather than the length of the role. There are several examples where a small role got so much of popularity that later producers made complete films and even plays on that particular character€.
Celebrities are treated like deities in an environment we habitat from. This kind of adulation and idolization can be quite heady as you are unconditionally being followed by many. It€™s so ironical that you work darn hard to get fame. But when fame finally becomes your slave, you hide behind covers to avoid being mobbed. In Faisal€™s case the equation seems to be a little different, because fame for him and his family is nothing new. €œSince my early childhood I have been seeing media people around me. I used to accompany my mom to the sets and this way I was in contact with the overall showbiz scene. My folks are quite well placed in the industry and fame remained a steady member of my family. I do believe that fame often goes to one€™s head in most cases and for me it€™s been a regular companion but I have managed to keep my feet on the ground because to me fame means more responsibilities towards society. People expect so much and that requires you to be more humble and down to earth. And that is how I am if it doesn€™t sound like blowing my own trumpet (laughs)€.€
Doesn€™t the unpredictability endear the person who happens to be star of the showbiz galaxy because the uncertainty keeps him on his toes? One fine day you are among the top stars but even a single flop takes you somewhere you haven€™t ever dreamt of. €œYeah, this is how showbiz works here. But somehow I feel that no matter what field you are a part of, you have to go through similar situations. Where a single wrong move, makes the situation slip out of your hands. This is something out of your control because you can€™t be a master mind of the whole thingy. So it€™s better if you concentrate on what you are supposed to do and make sure that you choose the best from the available options. As an artiste my job is to see that how my character places in the main story and if it is substantially sound than how am I supposed to perform it. If I do it well to my own level of satisfaction than that is enough to feel content over and the rest should be left to Almighty Allah€ prophesizes Faisal.
€œThe thing that bugs me to no end is the haphazard manner in which the industry operates,€ Faisal informs while explaining the reason of his distance from the movies and continues, €œMy grouse is against film-makers, not good cinema. I felt let down by the fact that these film-makers are not evolving, they are not growing up. Perhaps today€™s lot of filmmakers is in a tearing hurry, they don€™t have their heads firmly screwed on their shoulders. I tell you why. Look, the most important part of the whole package is the story but unfortunately that is considered here at the end. Also there are several hilarious examples on record where cast was finalized and songs were picturized even before the story was narrated. Isn€™t it funny? When that is your approach then definitely it would lead you no where at the end. Everywhere in the world casting is done considering the demand of the character. But here people have formed certain groups where a particular set of artistes is supposed to play the roles whether or not he or she is capable of doing it. Also no efforts are made to change the out look of the product whereas a viewer sitting in the hall has become so sharp now that he can well predict, how the next scene would eventually turn up in the movie and also that at what time the next song would come, its €˜cause over the years the films are being made on the same formula and no efforts have been put in to satisfy the viewers.€
Faisal believes that the director plays a key role in a play. He shares a good equation with such directors who have prodded and pushed him to discover new facets of himself. €œA competent director helps you build a complete behavioral outlook by the effective use of body gestures and facial expression which are quite mandatory for a good performance,€ Faisal explains the importance and continues, €œ I owe a great deal to those who have been particularly instrumental in making me learn how minimal dialogue may be more powerful than sheer words. And it gets amazing when you come across a person who knows his job with some proper home work supporting him.€
Faisal is an actor who has no inflated ego whatsoever. He is totally into the content of what he has to convey. €œI don€™t understand such people who tend to be quite selective about the nature of the roles. For me, as far as you€™re an artiste, it€™s your job to be versatile €˜because that is how an artiste€™s job description is defined. It€™s really good if you are good at certain type of roles but that doesn€™t mean that if you go for some different alternates you wouldn€™t be able to do justice. Today I see many people repeating the same kind of roles and surprisingly they flatly refuse to accept something even fuzzily different being offered to them. It may be good for them for the time they€™re in demand but in the long term the same would prove to be a running factor on their declining graph.€
Working on a high budget imparts certain energy to a project. Such projects automatically become labors of love as everybody knows how challenging his contribution going to be. Ironically, one doesn€™t feel the same way about other projects in the pipe line. Faisal has been a part of many mega-budget paradoxes, so how was his experience? €œWe haven€™t been able to identify what makes your product sell €˜cause good projects miserably fail whereas awful films do well. But naturally one feels proud to be a part of biggies. It€™s because of the fact that today it€™s the whole package that matters. In mega budget projects it is usually the goal that no single factor goes unnoticed. From narration of the story to the finalization of the cast, from selection of the locations to post production, from launching of the project to advertising at the media, it is made sure that nothing is left among the input list. So everybody in the team contribute his two hundred percent to make the gig a sure hit. And when you are finally appreciated by the viewers, it€™s like yr labor is finally paid off. And believe me, for an artiste, nothing is big like that !!€
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