Arif Hassan: Inside his ‘Zindagi Tamasha’ acting journey

ISLAMABAD: Zindagi Tamasha actor Arif Hassan candidly discussed his character’s portrayal in Sarmad Khoosat’s acclaimed movie and delved into the personal journey behind his performance.

During the the latest episode of Khoosat’s podcast Zindagi Tamsha Deconstructed on YouTube, the talented duo explored Hassan’s rise to fame with his standout performance as Rahat Khawaja in the movie, shedding light on the fact that many viewers and critics were previously unfamiliar with his name and his past work in the field.

Reflecting on his journey into the world of acting, Hassan confessed that he had limited prior experience in the field before taking on the pivotal role in Zindagi Tamasha. He disclosed that he had only been involved in a few theater projects in the 1990s, and even those had become a distant memory by the time he embarked on the 2019 movie project.

Meanwhile, the actor also acknowledged the significant role played by his friend, writer, and journalist Mohammed Hanif, in connecting him with Khoosat, which ultimately paved the way for their collaboration on the movie.

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Discussing his portrayal of Rahat, a character facing societal backlash when a video of him dancing to a song goes viral, Arif empathetically shared, “That person’s journey, how he was a happy and totally fine person and then he suddenly went into that state…I felt that.”

Zindagi Tamasha had faced setbacks when Tehreek-e-Labbaik Party (TLP) workers protested its theatrical release in 2020. The Federal Ministry of Information & Broadcasting intervened leading to an indefinite delay.

However, it received numerous accolades at international film festivals, including the prestigious Best Film award at the UK Asian Film Festival, Asian World Film Festival, Busan International Film Festival, and Mosaic International South Asian Film Festival.

The movie revolves around the life of a devout elderly man from Lahore whose life is disrupted when a video featuring him goes viral on social media. Highly anticipated movie which features an ensemble cast including Samiya Mumtaz, Eman Suleman, Adeel Afzal, Arif Hassan, Nadia Afgan and Ali Kureshi, recently became available on YouTube for Pakistani audiences after a period of uncertainty.