Imran Abbas is happy that artistes from across the border now have another platform — new TV channel Zindagi — to showcase their talent to Indian audiences Says Imran, whose show Mera Naseeb will also be aired on the channel, “Zindagi is a good platform for Pakistani artistes to exhibit their talent in India. As for Indians, it will give them a peek into Pakistani traditions, culture and society. Our culture is slightly misunderstood. People perceive us to be conservative and extremists, but on the contrary, we are liberal, open-minded, loving and accepting. I feel such an initiative should have been taken much earlier.
Unlike Indian soaps, Pakistani shows are bound by a finite script. In fact, the shoot starts only after the script is ready. Says the actor, “We like to change the viewers’ mindset through our shows. We want to show that a finite show, when shot with total focus on the script, can also rake in great ratings. We watch a drama for either fantasy or reality. Though I love the reality shows and crime-based shows on Indian TV, some of the daily soaps here are more fantasy-like. Pakistani drama is more inclined towards reality. Another highlight is, our shows have original soundtracks. We write, compose and sing songs for these dramas.
Mera Naseeb will see Imran play Moiz, a complex character. “You will hate him in the beginning, only to fall in love with him eventually. It was challenging,” he says. Ask him if the content will be tweaked to suit Indian sentiments and he replies, “Some titles which are in chaste Urdu will be changed to make them comprehensible. We pick titles from Quranic verses or Arabic words. Other than that, everything else will remain untouched.”
On the Bollywood front, he has completed two movies, including Creature, which also features Bipasha Basu. Indian soaps are fantasy, Pakistani shows are reality: Imran Abbas
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