Nazar-ul-Hasan: A promising theatre actor
We have seen that most theatre actors, who shift to small screen or films, stand out amidst the rest and are usually better performers than their contemporaries because of the value of training theatre lends to them. Some of the names in the list include Zahid Ahmed, Sanam Saeed, Osman Khalid Butt, Mohib Mirza and Ali Rehman Khan, who started off with theatre and have turned out to be successful TV and film actors. And they do not shy away from crediting their experience to just that.
Among the newer lot in theatre is rising star Nazar-Ul-Hasan, a diverse actor who has been simultaneously working in TV and films. He recently returned from Australia where he performed a theatrical act as part of Salamfest 2018, while he stole the show as Johny Janbaaz in his most recent play, Jasoosi Duniya. Instep caught up with the actor to know more about his work and his future plans.
“Theatre allows an artist to diversify and explore various kinds of roles, unlike television, which is why I am more inclined towards theatre,” Nazar-Ul-Hasan shared with Instep in an exclusive interview.
He never wished to be an actor and was working as a graphic designer before he joined NAPA, on the advice of thespian Akbar Islam, and graduated from there in 2009. Presently, he is a visiting faculty member at NAPA apart from appearing in most theatre plays that are performed there.
The actor is currently busy with rehearsals of his next performance in a play called Raagni as part of the ongoing Sindh Theatre Festival at the Karachi Arts Council. Directed by Meesam Naqvi, the play will be performed on November 14 at NAPA. Recently, he went to Australia to perform a play called Rustom at Salamfest 2018. He was also a part of Daastangoi (storytelling) at the festival and he thoroughly enjoyed the experience.
Last seen onstage in Pakistan as Johny Janbaaz in Jasoosi Duniya, a play that garnered immense praise for the artist, Nazar-Ul-Hasan revealed that initially he was offered some other character in the play. However, when the actor, who was supposed to essay Johny Janbaaz, didn’t appear for rehearsals, the entire team decided to give the role to him. Directed by Khalid Ahmed, Jasoosi Duniya marked Saman Ansari’s theatre debut and had an amazing run in Karachi last month. Nazar-Ul-Hasan was a major highlight of the play and left the audience in fits of laughter with his superb comic timing and dialogue delivery.
“The response from family, friends, colleagues and the audience was overwhelming,” the artist shared. “I have always had a very good experience working with Khalid sahab. I always move a step ahead after working with him and this was no exception.”
Nazar-Ul-Hasan has a very few TV roles to his credit; one of them was a supporting role in socially relevant drama serial Sammi that generated good reviews for the actor.
“In television, if an actor manages to pull off a character well, he is offered similar roles in the future,” the actor noted. “There is less room for exploration. Also, one’s face and personality hold key importance in TV because the face is very prominent in some of the shots whereas the focus isn’t just on one’s face when it comes to performing onstage. This allows for more opportunities in theatre for those who are not very good looking and have a wheatish complexion.”
Nazar-Ul-Hasan was also a part of Nabeel Qureshi and Fizza Ali Meerza’s Na Maloom Afraad 2 that released on Eid ul Azha this year and, according to the actor, he received a lot of appreciation for his work in the film. He admits that, aside from theatre, he is more inclined towards films as compared to television and he would love to take up a role if he is offered a good one.
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