*~khoobsurat beginning for FAK*~Reviews/IVS/UPDATES~thread 12 - Page 4

Pakistani sensation Fawad Khan made his Hindi film debut with Khoobsurat. The actor talks about his craft and its challenges.

It is hard to take your eyes off him, a female journalist tells me after eating into my time with Fawad Khan. It goes without saying that courtesy Zindagi channel, the Pakistani heartthrob has already become a household name in India. With serials like Zindagi Gulzar Hai' and now Humsafar', Fawad has shown how dashing need not be dumb and his conversational tone has made many of the performances in our serials look rather rudimentary. And he brings this skill to his interviews as well.

"The difference in the loudness of expression changes from filmmaker to filmmaker. I think there comes a time in the life of the stars when they start dictating the shots. Like how loud they want to play something but that time is not now for me. The conversational tone comes from improvisation and I work best when there is improvisation involved between actors. Sometimes you tend to forget the script but sometimes scripts are written in such a structured way - yes, it is a beautiful language but it starts sounding more like poetry or sermon than conversation. If you are doing contemporary work, the dialogue is either over a cup of tea, walking down the street or in a fist fight. I mean the tone has to change."

Comparing the television industry in India and Pakistan, Fawad admits he hasn't seen too much of Indian television.

"But from what I have gathered I feel the format that is working here or the format that the channels want to invest in is soap opera where the narrative doesn't really move. Even in Pakistan soaps are made that go on for five years but we try other formats such as short series and tele-films as well. Since film industry is in a dismal state, television is at the forefront as far as entertainment is concerned and we have been experimenting with the formats."

He says the social scenario that is being depicted in the serials is either real or slightly exaggerated for screen.

"And I think it is not much different from the issues people grapple with here. Like I presume domestic violence is a big concern here as well. I was driving in Delhi and part of it looked like Lahore's Mall road and the atmosphere, the people, the bus stops...all looked like Islamabad. When someone approaches me with questions of here and there', I say if the infrastructure is like that, people have to behave like that. And fringe elements should not be given too much importance."

So has he brought his television skills to Khoobsurat ? Fawad laughs.

"I think it is a mixture. I surrendered myself to Shashanka (Ghosh) and asked him to mould me the way he wants. This is something I usually don't do back home. For me it is a new experience because my improvisations don't come after informing the director."

Based on The Princess Diaries , the promos suggest that as Vikram Rathore he is playing a quintessential Disney prince, who appeals more to the heart than the head. "I haven't taken myself seriously as some sort of teenage or adult sex symbol. Of course here I am projected in a certain way. Prim and proper, nicely manicured and well dressed. When we discussed the part they said remember Richard Gere in Pretty Woman and I was like why not see it as Captain Georg von Trapp of The Sound of Music as he is the same sort of disciplined chap and only some sort of crossing over will be required."

But why always look Westward for reference points? "My sensibility is like that and it is just a reference. I don't translate the emotions but I pick the mannerisms. One of the biggest inspirations has been Marlon Brando. It is not that I listen to him. In any case with Brando listening was the least important thing because he almost mumbled but what he was doing was overwhelming. These are the things that you tend to pick up. Having said that Shashanka did mention Anil Kapoor's character in Lamhe for reference."

He says he was allowed to interpret the character and ask questions but goes on to add, a lot of people who haven't seen my body of work would rely on a less experimental way. Here, it didn't affect the outcome as much and what was intended has come out but I would like people to watch my serial Akbari Asghari' where I played a complete oaf."

But all said and done Khoobsurat is a vehicle designed for Sonam Kapoor. Does it worry him? "No, no way. The kind of material that made me popular back home was also considered women-centric where I am either the brute or the romantic interest. I don't have a problem with that. If I am not a prop and bring some value to the narrative then everything else is fine."

Fawad has been on stage since a young age but he picked acting as a profession more out of boredom So what does he look forward to? "I look forward to something stimulating. Rather than becoming the spoke in a wheel, I want to reinvent the wheel. I want to do something absurd now."

Right now, it is the shutterbugs who are offering some bizarre options!

I haven't taken myself seriously as some sort of teenage or adult sex symbol. Of course here I am projected in a certain way. Prim and proper, nicely manicured and well dressed.