Taking a deep dive into Aashir Wajahat’s mature thoughts about cinema is a fascinating revelation of a Gen-Z boy’s passion towards his craft. Aashir, whose upcoming movie ‘John’ is a fast-paced, edgy and one-of-a-kind thriller. What ensues is a rollercoaster of emotions, where friendship and love collide with betrayal and heartbreak.
In this engaging chat with Fashion Times Magazine, the 20-year-old actor spoke about playing the protagonist, box office prospects, nepotism and various aspects of filmmaking. Read on…
Fashion Times Magazine (FTM): You come from a completely different background than your character John. What was it like getting under the skin of someone who is nothing like you?
Aashir Wajahat (AW): I used to listen to stories of prepping up for a movie character. Finally John allowed me to experience it. It’s completely different, the way I look, and my personality is unlike John’s. The prep work was elaborate as we wanted to be sure of what exactly to do on set. It took around eight to ten look tests, two months of rehearsals and workshops to become John.
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(FTM): How did John happen? Tell us about the response to the trailer.
(AW): John happened very spontaneously. The part was originally written for an older guy between the age of 25-26. Later on, they changed their mind and opted for a young guy instead. When Igot the offer, I did a couple of auditions and got selected. The trailer response was surprisingly very good. It was praised by a large section of people. Resultantly, we didn’t filter out anything. One should be prepared for criticism, if people don’t like it, they have the right to express their opinion.
(FTM): Your last outing Chanda Tara with costar Romaisa Khan was a different world altogether. Did your experience and camaraderie help in building your chemistry in John?
(AW): I often have discussions with Romaisa that John evolved us as actors and individuals. For the unversed, we both were the quickest to get our shots approved on the sets of Chand Tara. This happened as we had built a great camaraderie while shooting for John.
(FTM): How was it shooting on real locations?
(AW): It was tough. We shot in narrow streets under hot weather with huge crowds. Shooting while wearing prosthetics is a different ball game altogether. If we hadn’t chosen to shoot in real locations, the impact would not have been strong.
(FTM): Tell us the kind of pressure you are facing in terms of acceptance and box office prospects.
(AW): There’s always a certain level of pressure. When you do a film you want it to be accepted by the audience. The box office prospects these days are impossible to predict, sometimes big banner films perform poorly. John has a fresh cast and a different genre. Be it ten people or ten thousand, John should leave some kind of an impact on them.
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(FTM): John releases at a time when the nepotism debate is raging. Aashir do you feel the wrath of that on social media?
(AW): This debate has always been there, in fact, a big question in everyone’s mind. Yes, we do get initial opportunities easily, but then it’s the craft that will decide the future. The audience is the king, it doesn’t matter which family you belong to. They watch what they like. If they feel that I haven’t done a good job in John, so nothing can change that.
(FTM): There’s a school of thought that says cinema should be done for your creative satisfaction and that someone else’s opinion should not be the prime concern. Your comments.
(AW): There’s no point in making a film for yourself, you make it for the audience. Films are bankrolled with a lot of money, therefore one should have a practical approach. No one likes losing money. As an artist, I feel one should keep a balance between the both.
Concluding the conversation, we asked Aashir to tell us three reasons why the audience should head towards cinemas to watch John, “Firstly, ‘John’ caters to audiences who are willing to watch different content. Secondly, the cast is fresh so the final product looks real and believable. Lastly, John has the elements for a wholesome watch like bits of romance, thrill, and of course a powerful storyline.”
Watch the trailer of John here:
