LAHORE: The legendary Indian actor Om Puri, who visted Pakistan some time ago to promote his film Actor-in-Law, alongside Fahad Mustafa and Mehwish Hayat, spoke exclusively to The Nation about his expectations from the film, his stay in the country and about his co-star Fahad Mustafa. “Fahad is as good as any Bollywood actor. He is very intelligent and knows how to act out a particular scene. I am sure he will give our Khans a tough time should he decide to sign a Bollywood film, he said.

Om Puri enjoyed his stay in Pakistan and spoke highly of the hospitality. “I have visited Karachi and Lahore three times before, and this time I got to visit Islamabad, Faisalabad and Gujranwala as well, as part of the film’s promotion. The people in Pakistan are very generous and respectful. I am sure they will come out in numbers to watch the film. I am very touched by the efforts of students and teachers in various universities, who gave us a warm welcome. It was a brilliant tribute for us,” he acknowledged.  

Om Puri appreciated the work done by directors and producers in the revival of the Pakistani cinema. “I watched Bol just recently and it is an amazing film. It is an international standard film, by all means. I had watched Khuda Ke Liye in a cinema in India and even that was a wonderful film. I really enjoyed watching it. Moreover, the directors and producers of the film Actor-in-Law are immensely talented as well. I promoted this film in India as well and the response I have received was terrific. I am sure a large number of people from the other side of the border as well will show up to watch this film,” he explained.

Fahad Mustafa hailed Om Puri as a legend and emphasized on the fact that he got to learn a lot from him during the making of this film. “It was not easy working with Om Puri. We had to act out scenes for him as he had no idea how to do them (laughs). No, it was an honour for me to work with a legend like Om Puri. He is a wonderful actor and a role model for so many young actors. He worked with us as a friend and he gave us so much respect. It was an amazing experience for us.”

Fahad shared his views on his recently-released film and labeled the film as a ‘great’ one. “All the actors, directors, producers etc. have worked their socks off for this. The storyline is very catchy and I really enjoyed doing this film. I had been offered about 7-8 films in the past year, but this one was a must do.”

Fahad relished the competition given by other Pakistani films released on Eidul Azha. “Competition is healthy and we enjoy it. I am sure a large number of people would watch our film. We showed this film to a lot of people the other day and we received standing ovations for it. People were very happy and they went home cheering for us. We were able to convey the message we wanted to from the film and that is what matters the most to us.”

Fahad ended by appreciating the response received from the city of Lahore and in the province of Punjab. “I am overwhelmed from the response I have received, not only from Lahore, but in the whole of Punjab. I was not expecting this and it has come as a surprise to me. I am hoping a few records to be broken by this film in the coming days.”

Actor In Law has received a very good response. The film so far since its release has topped the box office with Rs 60 million in sales of tickets so far.