Affan Waheed, a painter and an admirer of Literature by heart is a radio presenter and television actor by profession. To put in a nutshell, this young man is a complete artist who has been playing with music, colours, written words and spoken language. His current focus, however, is on acting alone and he has been performing in issue-based serials lately such as “Be-Dardi” which revolves around AIDS and “Iltija” based on Down’s Syndrome. Other important acting projects of Affan Waheed include “Dastaan”, a mega serial based on Partition, “Aik Pal” in which he presented a soft side of religion, “Kaafir” based on a number of taboo topics, “Neelum Kinare”, an Amna Mufti serial shot in the northern areas of Pakistan, and “Apna Khana Khud Garam Karo”, a telefilm relevant to the modern times. Comic works alongside serious dramatic projects act as a proof of an actor’s versatility, and Affan has succeeded in proving himself one, for while his intense serials such as “Khamoshi” and “Be-Dardi” were still on air, his humorous telefilm with Nadia Khan hit the screen. I asked this young actor a few questions, which are as follows along with their answers.
Since it is in painting that you have attained a degree, what inclined you to move towards acting?
I never thought of choosing acting as a profession. It was more like an accident waiting to happen to me. I like being an actor now, despite my tendency to get media-averted at times.
When did you exactly enter the drama industry professionally?
It was around 2010 with my first project being “Tere Pehlu Mein”, one of the most popular and long-running soaps of GEO. The portion of the serial in which I entered starred greats like Jamal Shah and Laila Zubairi as well.
Being a male actor, do you think there can be other role choices as well for males other than being a husband or a hero? How creative are Pakistani dramas in this regard?
Of course, there are! It is quite heartening to know that our dramas are also changing their skin gradually. For example, my character in “Be-Dardi” is not just of a husband who is made to misunderstand his wife but also of a decent guy whose life is ruined by bad company. Even in “Iltija”, if I played a bad husband, a fine balance was created by the incorporation of Imran Ashraf’s character of an influential teacher.
You recently did a telefilm by the name of “Apna Khana Khud Garam Karo” which apparently seemed to be against the manifesto of feminism. How much against or in favour of that manifesto are you in real life?
I am not an advocate of extremities. I believe in equality for both men and women.
How was it like working with a great actress like Nadia Khan?
Nadia Khan is quite humble and fun to work with. I did not have many scenes with her but still, it was a lot of fun.
Do hard-hitting drama serials like “Iltija” and “Be-Dardi” affect your personality or do you consider them just acting projects and move on?
I do not take my work back home. But yes, doing such plays could be quite taxing. Besides that, I generally remain unaffected.
With which writers and directors do you wish to work desperately but haven’t got the opportunity uptil now?
There are a few but still, I am quite satisfied with my progress.
Which has been your personal favourite project?
It would be a serious miscarriage of justice to name one. There are many of them.
Tell us about your upcoming projects.
One of them is titled “Aseer-e-Mohabbat” for ARY under the banner of Sana Shahnawaz and Samina Humayun. Another upcoming project of mine is “Aik Mohabbat Kafi Hai” which has been made for the newly launched channel, BOL Entertainment.
Affan Waheed’s terse answers are a fine reflection of his practical personality. This actor who looks very young is wise and believes in the changing times and one’s growth and grooming along. He whole-heartedly accepts the fact that life does not always remain the same and moulds people as well accordingly. “Rainbows and butterflies” is the metaphor the actor often quotes in remembrance of days spent enjoying, in oblivion of the realities of life.