Ali Zafar in 'trouble'?

Dubai - Ali Zafar and Maya Ali sit down for a chat with City Times about their upcoming release Teefa in Trouble

One of the most multi-talented personalities to come out of Pakistan, Ali Zafar is known for his numerous roles as a singer, painter, actor and model.
He rose to fame with his hit single Channo from the album Huqa Pani back in 2003 which earned him the title 'Country's Most Celebrated Music sensation' in Pakistan. This album also marked the start of his musical career. His debut film in Bollywood, Tere Bin Laden (2010) was critically lauded and showcased him as an actor who's versatile in his work, followed by movies like Mere Brother Ki Dulhan, starring Katrina Kaif and Imran khan, which earned him commercial success in the box office.
He came back with a bang in 2016 with the film Dear Zindagi, starring Alia Bhatt and Shah Rukh Khan. Unfortunately, due to political tension between the two countries, the film did not make it to Pakistani theatres.
Despite the recent controversy over allegations of sexual harassment by singer Meesha Shafi against him, Ali Zafar seemed to be in a positive frame of mind as he flew down to the UAE to promote his debut film in Pakistan, Teefa in Trouble. It is also the very first film launched by his production house Lightingale. This movie will also be the first non-Indian film that will be internationally distributed by Yash Raj films.
City Times recently caught up with the actors to know more about Teefa in Trouble that releases in UAE theatres this weekend.
Not only is Teefa in Trouble your first Pakistani film but it is also your debut film as a co-writer. Could you tell us more about the creative process behind it?
It was one of the most interesting creative processes that I have been through. Considering that I have been through various such processes be it acting, painting, sculpting, drawing, making music and all that but the writing was all solely... But what interested me the most was developing characters and then seeing those characters come to life and how each actor would bring their own ideas or concepts to this character. Once you see the dialogues that you have written come to life, it is just a very fascinating process and the kind of story we wanted to tell, the kind of film that we wanted to make, and to be able to do that with such a fantastic team, especially our director Ahsan Rahim, is a very dear old friend, the cameraman and everybody else, the entire cast and crew... This film has been probably the best journey of my life when it comes to movies.
There are a lot of firsts associated with this film. Did it give you any kind of pressure?
See, I believe in the simple philosophy that pressure doesn't help unless it is channelled into something positive and constructive. So as a human being, as an artist and a performer my job is to give my best and then it is up to God and people how they take it and how they receive it and I with open arms and with an open heart accept their judgement. Because I feel that their judgement will always be correct.
Were you familiar with each other's work? How did you feel when you got know that Maya Ali/Ali Zafar is going to be your co-star?
Maya Ali: Definitely I was really happy and excited when I got to know that I am going to be working with Ali Zafar and I was nervous at the same time but thanks to him because he kept like telling me,"Maya this is your character. You know better than me how you have to deliver this character," and I said, "Okay this credit would go to Ali Zafar." He was there all the while so thank you Ali for your patience for dealing with all my tantrums on set but definitely all credit goes to him.
Ali Zafar: She is a brilliant actress and she is extremely liked by people in general in Pakistan because she has been on TV and it was just that she was venturing out into a new medium for the first time. I would not say I guided her but what she did to her character was her own contribution. In Pakistan she is looked up to by a lot of young girls and boys, she is the darling of the country. And after this film Inshallah people are going to see a different side and colour to her personality and character which is great.
Tell us more about your character Teefa?
So Teefa is somebody who comes from the bylanes of the inner city of Lahore from a poor background and he will do anything for money. He works for a guy who is a goon and whatever job is given to him, like, let's say, to beat somebody up or to pick somebody up (he will do it). One day he gives him the job to pick somebody up from Poland for his son and he is like, "I have picked everything in life for you from people to a kettle, but I have never picked a girl." He is promised payment for it and so on the story goes. When he goes to Poland, that's when trouble begins. These two different characters coming together from different parts of the world, completely different cultures coming together in that journey. So the film is basically a ride, you know, from the word go to the end, it has everything; it has action, comedy and romance, everything you need.
You are someone who seems truly passionate about films and cinematography. Pakistani cinema right now has a lot of good actors and scripts yet the industry has not been flourishing. What do think is preventing this industry from growing?
Because it has lost out on decades - time when it should have flourished. Because of various reasons. However the time has come. And that's good. The industry has realised it and for the last past seven to eight years it has been trying to stand on its feet by getting itself to a level where it can start again. It would not possibly happen so rapidly, it would definitely take some time. With this film my aim, wish and objective was to make that first film in Pakistan which is of international calibre which would meet even the Hollywood standard.