Instep has a tete a tete with the young, hip and happening Hareem Farooq and Yasir Hussain who brought Aangan Terrha's funny bone back on stage  

Theatre in Pakistan owes its resurrection to KopyKats Productions, which is single handedly responsible for successfully making people enter a theatre and be entertained. Be it Anwar Maqsood-Dawar Mahmood collaboration Pawnay 14 August or Aangan Terrha, no show went less than housefull in the busy metropolitans of the country, which is no small achievement. That is history now as Aangan Terrha hits Islamabad.

This story is about the two characters that stood out in KopyKats' second venture - Akbar and Jehan Ara Begum from the Anwar Maqsood classic. They might seem Mughlai from their names but there is nothing royal about these them - the characters Maqsood wrote are very down to earth and Pakistani with a witty repartee that had everyone in fits. The talented Islamabadis - or to use the more 'burger' term for them, Islooites - Hareem Farooq and Yasir Hussain may not be royal but they are definitely magnificent.

Here is what the dynamic duo - Hareem Farooq and Yasir Hussain - had to say about their glorious past, celebrated present and we’re guessing illustrious future!

Instep: You came, you saw and you conquered with not much being known about you! Who are you folks?
Hareem Farooq and Yasir Hussain: We believe kaam kam karna chahye, lekin acha karna chahye. (One should concentrate on quality rather than quantity)

Hareem Farooq: I have been associated with KopyKats for a handful of years now. Ever since I met Dawar Mahmood, I have been infatuated with acting on stage. I may not have worked much but after playing a PTI supporter in Pawnay 14 August and acting in a feature film Siyaah, I knew that if I managed to do justice with Jehan Ara, I would hit the jackpot, and I am glad I managed to do justice to that role.

Yasir Hussain: When Dawar and I met few years back, I was already doing theatre, and he was starting his career as an actor. In fact, I was acting in and choreographing the play in which he made his acting debut. Since then we have been good friends and I have acted in all the plays he has directed, because I enjoy working with him. Besides that, I was a VJ for Aag TV for two years and have worked in a soap opera and a couple of TV series, including Mehreen Jabbar's Coke Kahaani. I don't work much as I am quite lazy, aur zyada kaam karna mujhe pasand bhi nahi hai. I also wrote for theatre and despite my acting commitments, I didn't stop writing, which is why I am still churning out scripts, and keeping myself busy.

Instep: Aangan Terha was an already-watched TV serial … did you expect that it would go onto do so well on theatre?

Hareem Farooq: Yes. I sort of knew because it was an excellent play when it was aired on TV. I trust Dawar because he has faith in his actor's abilities. At first I was very nervous but his faith helped me and I was able to do well. We knew he wouldn't let us down since it was he who persuaded Anwar (Maqsood) sahib to write Pawnay 14 August, and Aangan Terrha later. Main ne jitni bhi acting seekhi hai, that's all Dawar. He has made me learn a lot as an actor and that's why I knew that if he had faith in the play, so did I.

Yasir Hussain: Dawar has given me the big breaks and good characters so I knew Aangan Terrha wouldn't be a flop. Mere saamne ka bacha hai but we share an excellent chemistry. He is in fact a puppet master or a football coach who is moving me with his commands. Since he is a friend and we are on a comfort level, I don't find it difficult to work with him. At times when I exit the scene, he is waiting for me backstage and asks me ‘aaj yeh line aise bol do’, which helps me blossom on stage.

Instep: You were Akbar in Aangan Terrha and a stereotypical Sindhi in Pawnay 14 August. What was the inspiration behind both the characters?

Yasir Hussain: If we talk about Akbar, well Akbar Yasir Nahi, Akbar Dawar Hai! (Akbar is not Yasir, Akbar is Dawar.) He can do Akbar better than me, yet he is giving me the chance, which shows he has a very big heart. As for the Sindhi character in Pawnay 14 August, I picked up the accent from my friend's driver who is in fact a Sindhi. I observed his way of talking and that's what helped me a lot in Pawnay 14 August!

Instep: People must have compared you to the original cast members of Aangan Terrha. What was the biggest compliment you got in this regard?

Hareem Farooq: At first I thought people would compare my acting with Bushra Ansari's who was fabulous as Jehan Ara. I was nervous because Bushra Ansari is still acting and can still play Jehan Ara, without any difficulty. I feared that people would say kay “yahan Bushra ko hona chahye tha” so when I got the compliment “humain Bushra ki kami mehsoos nahi hui,” I was very happy. I was unable to match Bushra Ansari's acting but un kay qareeb pohanchna was a dream that got fulfilled with the play.

Yasir Hussain: All the actors of the original play came to watch us act but since Saleem Nasir sahib died more than 20 years ago, not meeting him is my bad luck. The day his family came to watch the show, the audience applauded them and that made me realize that quality work is the best way to stay in people's mind. People said I reminded them of Saleem Nasir and that was the best compliment. I would like to say that if he did 100 per cent, I was able to match only 0.5 per cent!

Instep: How would you sum up the experience of working with Anwar Maqsood at the start of your career?

Hareem Farooq: It was more than an honour for me. I had never imagined that at the start of my career I would get to work with the greatest writer of all. For any amateur actor, working with him is like a dream come true. When I was told that we would be working with him, main saatwein aasman par pohanch gayi thi. Anwar sahib is a star in every way, yet he is a very modest man and that's what makes him great. The credit of introducing me to Anwar sahib goes to Dawar who thought I was good enough to be in his play.

Yasir Hussain: I would like to thank Dawar as well for persuading Anwar sahib to do theatre, and then selecting me for the play. Anwar sahib is a living legend and there is no bigger writer than him in Pakistan. Un ke saath dou plays main kaam karna is an honor! Bohat daantein khayeen un se, chamaatein bhi khayeen but that's his way of loving and appreciating you.

Instep: How do you rate the audience of different cities of Pakistan - Karachi, Lahore and Islamabad?

Hareem Farooq: Karachi is the best city when it comes to performing arts. People respect and appreciate actors, the way they should be respected and appreciated. Lahore on the other hand is very welcoming but they are used to their own type of theatre. Since Islamabad is so cut off from the rest of the country, they are busy in their own things. Now that we are performing there, I hope they would be as welcoming as Karachi and Lahore were.

Yasir Hussain: First of all, I have gotten good characters so the public all over the country has applauded me, equally. Secondly, I wear glasses the power of which is minus 4, so when I take off my glasses, all audience out there seems the same to me. Mujhe nazar hi nahi aata, tareef sab karte hain. I don't see anything, yet they all praise me, so all audiences are same for me.

Instep: Who is your favourite actor or actress and with whom would you like to share the stage (or screen)?

Hareem Farooq: I like actresses who do female-oriented roles, like Bushra Ansari and Uzma Gillani. I want to be like them because is industry main khatoon actor ban kar apna naam aur izzat banana bohat bari baat hoti hai. Moreover, Dawar makes fun of me that you are Bollywood-inspired and especially from Madhuri Dixit which might be true because I have grown up watching her act so well for so long. However, I would like to share space on TV with Noman Ejaz, since I believe he is the one actor who never looks out of character. He doesn't bank on his looks, which makes him so very different. I would also like to work with Mehreen Jabbar because she is a contemporary director, and Yasir is lucky to have worked with her.

Yasir Hussain: Saleem Nasir sahib is my favourite actor and I am in love with his acting in both Ankahi and Aangan Terrha. I didn't get to see his earlier works but I know that he used to be a superb serious actor. I am also a fan of Mohammad Ali who was a great actor himself. In the current lot, I admire Faisal Qureshi because he has managed to do different kind of roles on TV, unlike his contemporaries.

Instep: Tell us something about yourself. Are any of your parents or relatives associated with showbiz?

Hareem Farooq: Both my parents are doctors and we are based in Islamabad. They are very open minded folks and weren't like kay beti hai to ghar main rahegi. They treated me like a larka and wanted me to excel in whatever I want to pursue. So here I am, doing what I love. And no one in my family has ventured into showbiz, so I am the first one.

Yasir Hussain: I also hail from Islamabad. My dad passed away six years ago but it was his wish that I become an actor. My mother isn't associated with showbiz either, but she loves my acting, and my long hair. (Smiles) My sister Shumaila Hussain is a singer who has sung many title songs for TV serials, and is now based in Karachi.

Instep: What would you have been had you not been an actor?

Hareem Farooq: Actor na hoti to duniya bohat boring hoti. Kuch hota hi nahi karne ko. (Had I not been an actor, life would have been very boring as there would have been nothing to do.) I did some modeling for my family friends but was never inclined towards it. I had done my Bachelor's in Journalism and Sociology and wanted to do law but couldn't do it. Who knows someday I might go for it, but right now I am sticking to being an actor.
Yasir Hussain: I wanted to be a doctor because I believed in serving the people. Main ne kisi daur main BA kia tha but since I was not fond of studying, I quit after graduation. So it is all acting for me!

Instep: What's next for you?

Hareem Farooq: I guess Sawa 14 August will be next for me. I will not leave theatre for the time being because I want to explore myself as an actor. I don't want to turn towards direction for 3-4 years because I want to improve as an actor. I have projects lined up, so I will be keeping myself busy for sure.

Yasir Hussain: Sawa 14 August, later this year. I might try my hand at direction as well, although I have never directed or assistant directed for theatre. I directed some plays for NGOs and even acted as an assistant producer, but direction is on the cards for me.

Omair Alavi works for Geo News and can be contacted at omair78@gmail.comk

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Name: Hareem Farooq       
Age: 24 years
Profession: Actress  

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Name: Yasir Hussain
Age: 26 years
Profession: VJ, TV and Theatre Actor       

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After over 100 performances in Karachi, a week or so in Lahore, Aangan Terrha is now LIVE on stage in Islamabad

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Hareem Farooq was the most impressive thing going in the horror film Siyaah but that was a piece of cake compared to filling in Bushra Ansari’s shoes in Aangan Terrha

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Before Akbar: Yasir Husain makes a spot on Sindhi