E X C L U S I V E
In 2013, I made a film ‘Siyaah;’ a critically acclaimed horror film
and Hareem worked with me on that. From there our friendship
converted into partnership in the form of IRK Films and rest as they
say is history.
Hareem: In 2008, we used to laugh whenever Imran said he wanted
to make a film and then he proved himself with ‘Siyaah.’ When we
worked on ‘Janaan,’ it wasn’t the first time we had worked together,
so the same was when we were doing ‘Parchi.’ It has been great overall.
Ali: I think the more projects you do together, the closer you get. All
of us have known each other for a really long time, so it has been
a great experience working with the guys this time. The first few
weeks are weird, but you get along on a whole new level with time,
so it was more comfortable working with the team this time around.
Even in Janaan, it was so much easier doing what we did because we
were all friends around. It was super fun, a lot of energy and we were
always looking forward to it. It never felt like work; it was more like
chilling and singing with friends.
Is it difficult for newcomers to make it in the film industry without
connections?
Ali: I will admit that it is definitely not easy, but it is not impossible
either. I also don’t think it is about the connections, it’s about how
you get yourself noticed, and that’s the toughest part. I come from
Islamabad where there is no industry, and it’s hard to get yourself
seen in comparison to Lahore or Karachi.
In that case, one has to do some theatre work or short films, and there
is obviously no easy way to achieve it. You have to be consistent; you
have to really want this. In this day and age, where social media
platforms play a significant role in promoting and marketing things,
one needs to utilise it in the right way and bring yourself out there.
Billo Hai is the new wedding jam for the season, what are your thoughts
on that? Did you expect it to become such a hit?
Imran: We wanted it to be a hit, but we didn’t expect it to be such
a hit. It was overwhelming. Two days after the trailer release, it got a
million views. I guess when you work hard and you get this response
it feels great.
Hareem: It took us 4 months to get this song filmed. Osman Khalid
Butt choreographed it, and he is a very old friend who actually got
me into acting. He is also very talented to such a point where it gets
hard to find things that he cannot do.
Parchi is going to be one of the first films to hit the KSA screens once
they reopen, what are your thoughts on being screened internationally
that too in KSA?
Imran: It is quite an honour, and we are very proud. It’s taking
Pakistan to a global level and taking away the negative image of the
country. We had ‘Siyaah,’ the first horror film in Pakistan, and then
we had Janaan that was recognised internationally in UK’s top ten
list. Now we have Parchi being the first movie to be shown in the
cinemas in Saudi after the lifting of the ban. It is a milestone for
ARY Films and the industry overall.
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