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Salman Shahid

by

Ally Adnan

One of the most celebrated actors of Pakistan, Salman Shahid, is the son of

broadcasting veteran, Saleem Shahid, and acting pioneer, Begum Khurshid

Shahid. Salman’s career in show business spans almost four (4) decades and,

working in both Indian and Pakistan feature films, he is busier today than he has

ever been in the past. In a detailed interview with the Friday Times, Salman

Shahid talks about his career, his personal life, the high and low points of his

career, the resurgence of Pakistani cinema and a lot else.

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1. You are the son of two (2) very well-known personalities of show business.

How did this affect your career choice?

My father, Saleem Shahid, had a very successful career as a broadcaster,

first with All India Radio, then with Radio Pakistan and finally with the

British Broadcasting Corporation. My mother, Begum Khurshid Shahid, was

one of the pioneers in the field of acting in Pakistan. They were both

regarded very highly in show business and I was virtually invited to join

their world. Joining show business was a consequence of my parents’

successful careers in the field. I would perhaps not have become an actor

if my parents had different occupations but, being their son, my choice of

career was inevitable.

2. Your parents separated while you were very young. Did the separation

affect your childhood?

Yes, it did. The separation of one’s parents is always traumatic; in my case

the trauma was amplified because I was an only child and had no one to

share my feelings with. My parents tried very hard – several times – to

make things work between themselves but were never successful. That

being said, when I look back at my life, I feel, that childhood distress

notwithstanding, I have had a good life. I have been more fortunate than

most people and have had parents who loved me and contributed to my

success and happiness. It has been a good life and I have no regrets.

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3. You worked in comedy during the start of your career. Was that to hide any

pain?

Not really. I learnt how to cope with my parents’ differences early on in life.

There really wasn’t a lot of pain to hide.

4. You were a key player in one of PTV’s finest comedy programs – Such Gup.

Please tell us about the program.

I started work on television well before Such Gup and was a member of the

team of PTV’s program, Jawan Fikar. I acted in a play that Sarmad Sehbai

wrote for the program and worked on many sketches for Jawan Fikar. I was

a student at the time and Shoaib Hashmi was one of my teachers. He had

seen my work in Jawan Fikar and asked me to join Such Gup when he

started the program. Such Gup was an immensely funny and intelligent

program. I do not think that television in Pakistan has been able to top the

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comedy program since and it certainly has been the greatest success of my

career. I enjoyed doing Such Gup. Even after more than three (3) decades,

people remember the story with two (2) rhinoceros (do gainday) that I kept

trying to tell in the program.

5. The team of Such Gup seemed to work together very well, as a family, if

you will. What made you work together in such a friendly and positive

manner?

We certainly worked very well as a team. I think that everyone who worked

in Such Gup shared a common goal of producing work of very high quality.

Shoaib Hashmi had assembled a team of very passionate and dedicated

individuals who did not believe in doing anything less than their best.

Anything short of excellence was unacceptable. Shoaib Hashmi was very

good at promoting camaraderie and his enthusiasm was infectious. The

team also worked well because no one was driven by their ego and no one

wanted to shine as an individual in the program. Those were the good old

days of television.

6. The good old days of PTV. Are they just a romantic memory or were things

really good in the beginning?

No, things were really good in those days. PTV started failing as

competition cropped up. After holding a monopoly over television for a

very long time, it was unable to handle competition. PTV could not pay as

well as the new channels did and lost a lot of talent to other channels.

Bureaucracy and associated vices took their toll. Favoritism became

rampant. As an institution of the state, PTV never had a real need to do

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well commercially and could get away with producing second-rate

programs. This ‘luxury’ of being able to do mediocre work and have to face

no consequences hurt PTV tremendously. Other channels were run as

businesses and had no tolerance for mediocrity, commercial failures, or

intellectual complacence; they left PTV far behind.

7. Pakistan has seen a profusion of TV channels in the last few years. How has

this affected the quality of programming?

A lot of people like to

say that the affect

has been negative. I

do not agree

necessarily. The

world of television

has evolved, the

audience has

expanded and

become more

diverse, and the

financing model has

been transformed

completely. These

factors have changed

the content and

quality of television

programs but not

hurt either.

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PTV attracted the Urdu intelligentsia right from the beginning. Ashfaq

Ahmed, Bano Qudsia, Munno Bhai and a number of other notable writers

of the Urdu language were drawn to PTV. As a result, PTV attracted an

audience that was better educated than the one drawn to Pakistani cinema

and became a channel for the Pakistani bourgeoisie. PTV was never driven

by commercial success. The corporation did not carry any profit and loss

responsibility. PTV was, therefore, able to explore philosophical,

intellectual and social issues that would normally not work in productions

driven by commercial success. The result was some truly wonderful

productions.

Private channels are driven, almost exclusively, by commercial success.

They want programs that are popular and marketable. They have to be

cognizant of the competition - other television channels, the web and

cinema. They have to make sure that they secure the requisite advertising

revenue. As a result, there is a reluctance to take risks. The channels

dictate the content of the programs they produce, giving writers very little

room for creativity, innovation and originality. Commercial success if of

paramount importance in this new world. Yet we see good programs from

time to time. Our dramas do very well in India.

So, to answer your question, I would say that the focus has shifted from

artistic and intellectual excellence to commercial and popular success, but

the quality has not gone down.

8. Do you believe you made a good choice by selecting show business as a

career?

Yes, I do. I would have liked to have had more opportunities as a director

than as an actor but am satisfied with my career, nonetheless. In 1976, I

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went to Russia to study film-making. When I returned to Pakistan four (4)

years later, I wanted to write and direct, but the time was not right. I did

not find any real opportunities for writing and directing, only for acting.

Things have changed a lot over the years. A lot of opportunities for writing

and directing exist for motivated, enthusiastic and well-educated young

people, today. This was not the case in the eighties and nineties. But show

business has been good for me. I do not have any regrets.

9. What have been the high points of your career in show business?

Such Gup was certainly a high point. The program was funny, clever and

smart. I got along famously with everyone in the team and the audience

loved the program. I think my serial Seerhiyaan was very good. It was

written by Abdul Qadir Junejo and produced by Kazim Pasha. I consider it

to be another high point of my career. And I think the films that I have done

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in India recently – Ishqiya, Dedh Ishqiya, Kabul Express – have been good.

After more than thirty-five (35) years in the field, it is great to be getting

good roles in major films. Most actors lament having a lack of work at this

stage of their careers; however, I am busier than I have ever been and

enjoying myself a great deal.

I do want to talk about theater here. I have worked the most for the theater

and some of my best performances have certainly been on stage; but

theater does not have a standing in Pakistan. Had this not been the case,

all the high points of my career would have been related to theater.

10. Have there been any low points in your career?

I don’t think there have been many in my professional life. I have done well

as an actor. I continue to get work and a lot of people seem to like what I

do.

11. Pakistani cinema seems to be undergoing a resurgence. What do you think

about the future of cinema in Pakistan?

Pakistani cinema is certainly undergoing a resurgence and I am glad that I

am a part of its revival.

The resurgence owes itself, in large part, to advances in technology. Making

a film used to be a formidable task financially. Studios held a monopoly

over filmmaking primarily because they were the only ones who had the

wherewithal to produce films. Now, we have digital SLR cameras, the RED

series, the GoPros and a number of other digital cameras that are

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affordable and can be used to make high quality films without using film.

One no longer has to worry about the cost of equipment and film. Lighting

requirements has become less stringent. Films need no longer be shot on

sets in studios. Editing is now done digitally. These developments have

been a boon for independent filmmakers in Pakistan who are now able to

make films within reasonable budgets, without having to rely on studios.

The field is attracting a lot of people who are educated, well-read, smart,

driven and energetic. The results, I believe, will be great. We should see a

lot of progress in independent filmmaking in Pakistan in coming years and

some really good films. I think the best years of Pakistani cinema are ahead

of us.

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12. You have be seen prominently in a number of feature films recently. How

did this come about?

The films being made in Pakistan are better than those that were produced

by the studios in the past. I was never a fan of traditional Pakistani cinema

and always stayed away from it. Now that good independent films are

being made in the country, there is a need for talented actors who enjoy

working in good projects. This positive change has created opportunities

for many actors including myself. Moreover, Pakistani actors are now

recognized in India and, therefore, have more choices and opportunities

than they ever had in the past. I think that there are three (3) reasons for

my recent success in cinema. One, good films are being made in Pakistan.

Two, Pakistanis are able to work in India. And, three, I am a good actor.

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13. You have worked in a few major Indian films recently. What was the

experience like?

It was a great

experience. Indian

filmmakers are very

professional. They are

dedicated to producing

good films and do not

seem to care about

whatever animosity

exists between India

and Pakistan. On and

off the set, I found

them cooperative,

gracious and helpful. I

was treated very well

by Indian filmmakers

and enjoyed working

in Indian films. The two

(2) countries have had

strained relationships

since partition and I do

see some hateful

comments on the web

every now and then. Both Indians and Pakistanis like to generate some very

negative discussions on the web but I never see any hatred, resentment

and animosity in real life in India.

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14. You are ranked very highly as an actor by critics. What is your own opinion

of your talent?

I am not sure I have any.

15. Tell us about the women in your life?

There have not been many. I am faithful by nature and tend to stay with

the same person for long periods of time. I was married for thirteen (13)

years before Beena and I parted ways. It was not an easy decision but the

end of the marriage was inevitable. I am still in touch with my ex-wife and

involved in raising my daughter.

16. What do you do when you are not working?

I write stories and screenplays which may or may never be made into films.

Photographs by Ammar Shareef