The year 2021 was quite a year for Saad Qureshi. The young actor had to get accustomed to living with his burgeoning star status. He had to contend with the passing of his mother, who succumbed to COVID-19 in June. He had to attend to his father, who underwent coronary bypass surgery in the fall. And, he had to focus on TV serial ‘Benaam’, which became the biggest hit of his six-year-long acting career.
In a conversation surrounding his work in ‘Benaam’, Qureshi spoke to Minute Mirror about the drama serial, his singular focus on the craft of acting, the year that was 2021, women’s and men’s rights, and his upcoming project with Humayun Saeed’s television production company.
2021 was quite a year for you.
It sure was. I lost my mother to COVID-19 in the summer. My father had to undergo open-heart surgery, a few months later. While tending to my parents, I contracted the coronavirus and had to deal with its debilitating effects.
That is a lot to bear. Did it make it difficult for you to focus on drama serial ‘Benaam’?
Yes and no.
The circumstances left me totally exhausted, both physically and mentally. There were days when getting out of bed and showing up on the set seemed to be an insurmountable challenge, but thanks to the support of my wife and the strength that I have always been able to draw from my faith in God, I always managed to gather the energy needed to put in an honest day’s work and did not let my work suffer.
In hindsight, I feel that the year’s misfortunes helped me deliver a good performance in ‘Benaam’. I was so eager to escape all that was going on in my personal life that I channeled all my energy into delivering a good performance and gave the serial all that I had.
‘Benaam’ was one of the most successful television serials of 2021 and arguably the biggest hit of your career. What were the reasons behind the success of ‘Benaam’?
‘Benaam’ was a family drama meant to entertain and it did not pretend to be more than that. It was sincere to both its story and characters, and it did not try to carry burdens that were not its own to carry. I believe that a lot of dramas lose focus when they try to be more than they need to be. Intellectualism – especially feigned intellectualism that is not germane to a serial’s story – and unbridled didacticism come at the expense of entertainment value and, almost always, hurt the quality of drama serials.
‘Benaam’ had an ensemble cast with a number of senior and some very popular actors. When signing on to do the serial, were you concerned that their presence in the serial would eclipse yours?
No, not at all. The talented cast of ‘Benaam’ raised the bar and forced me to step up my game. I worked very hard to bring my character to life and to ensure that no one overshadowed my presence in the serial. I genuinely believe that I would have turned in a lesser performance if I was working with an ensemble of lesser actors.
Were you able to forge friendships with members of the cast of ‘Benaam’ during the filming of the serial?
I got along very well with the cast and crew of ‘Benaam’ and enjoyed every minute on the sets of the serial. I look forward to collaborating with the team again. As far as friendships go, I am not someone who makes friends easily. It takes me an awfully long time to open up to someone and develop what one can truly call a close friendship.
Your character in ‘Benaam’, Umar, is a passionate young man who is held back by circumstances out of his control. Do you identify with his character?
Umar and I are different people. He is very passionate, whereas I try to keep my emotions in check and always try to appear calm and composed. I do understand the societal and parental pressures that Umar dealt with in ‘Benaam’ and have had to cope with similar problems in my life, as well. I have handled them differently than Umar but the pressures have been as real and as unbearable as the ones he faced. Life is not easy for young men in Pakistan.
How is it so?
The unrelenting, vicious pressure to “be a man” is brutal. Everyone wants men to act tough, conceal emotion, hide weakness, look good, be rich, and take care of their families. Their manhood is challenged everywhere – be it at the school, workplace, playground, home, and elsewhere. Then they are expected to protect and provide for the women in their lives. The demands are wantonly cruel and unfair.
Do men need to protect and provide for women in their lives?
Women are perfectly capable of taking care of themselves and their needs. Men do not need to protect and provide for women any more than they need to for other men. Everyone – female and male – needs to be kind, helpful and fair. The belief that women need special treatment is patently wrong. It is disrespectful and demeans women. Society limits the growth and freedom of women by pretending to protect them. Women do not need protection; they need respect and the freedom to do what they want to do in their lives.
What responsibility does society have towards its womenfolk?
The exact same responsibility that it has towards its men.
And what is that?
Our society needs to become one where women are treated with fairness, respect, and kindness. It needs to give women equal rights, the freedom to study and work as they please, the authority to make their own choices, and the liberty to lead lives they choose for themselves. It needs to provide women the same opportunities it provides men. And, it needs to cease being one where women need to give up inheritances to prove their loyalty to their brothers.
You seem to have very strong opinions about women’s rights.
Yes, I do.
If women were treated fairly, they would no longer need the protection that men are pressured to provide them. That will be good for society. Can you imagine how our nation will prosper if we gave all women the freedom to study and work? We cannot and should not continue to force women to stay at home, under the protection of men, flipping rotis instead of becoming productive members of the workforce. At the same time, men should have the freedom to become househusbands if they want to do that. The word “homemaker” is gender neutral.
Umar’s character, albeit important, is not the lead in ‘Benaam’. Do you feel that, even after six (6) years in the business, the industry does not think that you are ready to play lead characters in television serials?
I do not believe that is the case. ‘Benaam’ had a number of characters that were defined, written, and developed very well, each with their own very interesting and engaging arcs. No one character can be labeled as the lead of ‘Benaam’.
I believe I have answered your question but want to say more. My goal is to become a capable artist and not a big star. I look for roles which afford me veritable opportunities to act and perform to the best of my abilities. I really do not care if they are lead characters or not. Meryl Streep had only a four-minute speaking scene in the movie ‘Suffragette’ but it afforded her a tremendous opportunity to display her acting skills. It was not a lead character, but she played it so well that her performance dwarfed that of all others in the movie. That is what being an actor is all about.
‘Benaam’ tells a rather conventional story of a love triangle. Would you not have preferred to do something more novel and avant-garde?
It is true that the story is conventional, but it is a good story, and it is told well. I played an interesting character in the serial. It allowed me to establish my credentials as a capable actor and became very popular with viewers. The experience of working in ‘Benaam’ has been personally and professionally rewarding.
‘Benaam’ has been a hit television serial, appreciated by viewers all over the world. How has the reaction to your performance been?
It has been very positive, overwhelmingly so, to be honest. My fan following seems to have increased manifold because of ‘Benaam’. I am getting a lot of attention and love, which is great, and I am working on getting comfortable with the erosion of privacy that comes with stardom.
Are you enjoying the adoration and attention?
To be completely honest, not yet. It will take some getting used to, but I am sure that I will start enjoying it as time passes. Nevertheless, I am very grateful for the adoration and attention.
What acting projects do you have lined up after ‘Benaam’?
I will be playing the male lead in a serial being produced by Six Sigma Plus for ARY Digital. I play an honorable young man who holds on to his integrity, principles, and values even when doing so is inconvenient and perilous. Writer Syed Akhtar has written a compelling story with several powerful and interesting characters. Babar Ali, Zubab Rana, Omer Shahzad, and Hira Khan will play other characters in the serial. It will be directed by Faisal Bukhari, and I am hopeful that it will be a big hit.
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