Shaan Shahid

Gloss Exclusive

Shaan has ruled Lollywood for as long as one can remember. His latest movie Arth: The Destination has made headlines lately and is one of the most hyped films of 2017.

GLOSS talks to the man himself about the movie and what to expect from it.

With a career spanning more than two decades and having more than 500 movies in his cap, Shaan Shahid has established himself as one of Pakistan’s most popular actor, writer, model, and film director in the industry.

His graceful acting and charming personality have wowed everyone from the older generation to the current one. He made his acting debut in 1990 alongside Reema Khan in Javed Fazli›s film Bulandi. After that, he not only starred in Urdu feature films but also Punjabi movies. There has been no turning back for the superstar since then. In 2007, he starred in Shoaib Mansoor’s international Blockbuster Khuda Kay Liye with Iman Ali and Fawad Khan. In 2013 came Waar, O21 in 2014 and Yalghaar in 2017 opposite Humayun Saeed, Adnan Siddiqui, Armeena Khan, Ayesha Omar and Bilal Ashraf.

Arth 2 is the improvised version of Mahesh Bhatt’s original Arth released in 1982. The new version is a modern take on the original with a minimal resemblance to it. The movie also marks Shaan’s comeback as a director and casts Shaan himself, Uzma Hassan, Mohib Mirza and Humaima Malick in pivotal roles. In addition to that, the screenplay is also written by him.

Movies are art and art in itself is an intoxication

“There is a very little resemblance to the original Arth as we have only picked 10-20% of it and have rewritten the screenplay, adding fictitious elements to the new one. As I believe that telling the same story isn’t what creative minds do,” Shaan said.

“In Arth 2, the most challenging task as a writer was to take that film out of a condensed art form and add flavour to it, making sure the new product is something that keeps the audiences hooked and entertained. From the story to the cinematography, from the acting to the musical score, everything needed to be spot on,” Shaan further elaborated.

“Movies are art and art in itself is an intoxication. Thus, the nation as a whole should look to promote Pakistani cinema,” said Shaan. “Arth 2 is all about human relationships, and how the characters find their respective destinations following their failures or successes with a lot of substance, deep music, intense dialogues and acting.”

We started peeling the layers of different characters in the movie and asked Shaan about his intense role of a rock star named Ali.

“Ali, who is a divorcee returns to Pakistan after 10 years from the UK to make a professional comeback,” he told us. “Ali is someone who once had everything, but now is left with nothing, on unknown and strange streets. This is where he finds a friend, and their story begins. It is all about the good things in life.” He further explained.

When asked about working abroad, Shaan was of the opinion that he personally is not interested in taking up any such projects as yet, because, Pakistani entertainment industry is going through a revival itself. Thus being the patriot that he is, Shaan replied that “Being a Pakistani, I feel like I have a lot of responsibility as a citizen of my country.”

“We, as a nation should come together to promote our talents and industry, rather than wasting it. The film medium has so much potential, but it is not being utilised properly,” He answered.

As we concluded our interview, his message to every Pakistani was to enjoy their soil, love each other and live peacefully. He further continued, “Live your dream, be a Pakistani and be proud of it.”

As Arth 2 has hit the cinemas, 2018 awaits the release of Zarrar, another action-packed movie starring Shaan, Kiran Malik and Adnan Butt.