KARACHI: Ahad Raza Mir and Sajal Aly have previously made it clear that they are private individuals. Since they do not post much about their lives on social media, fans anxiously wait to see them on screen or as guests during a show to get to know more about them. The couple recently visited Dubai during which Ahad Raza Mir also sat down for an interview with AB Talks. During the conversation, the Ehd e Wafa star reflected on his childhood, family, and career.
His childhood and the struggle with identity
When asked about his childhood, Ahad shared what it was like to be a kid with dual nationalities and having to constantly balance between two countries. “I think (my childhood) was good, pretty normal. I think it was hectic in some sense because I moved a lot. I moved between Pakistan and Canada and a lot of travelling in the middle so I kinda feel that identity is a big challenge,” he reflected.
Ahad spent most of his childhood in Canada which meant that his friends were there, his books were there, all of his belongings were there. But he missed Pakistan as well because that is where his family was. Moving around as a kid can confuse many since they do not get to fully explore themselves or their cultures. Ahad mentioned how adjusting to one place was particularly difficult because of how vastly different Pakistan and Canada are, not just with regard to culture, but also the geographical distance between the two and the different time zones. Consequently, “identity becomes a confusing thing to grasp,” stated Ahad.
Relationship with his parents
During the conversation with AB Talks, Raza revealed that although his father was an actor in Pakistan, Asif Raza Mir kept his son away from the entertainment industry and the world of showbiz. When Ahad moved to Pakistan in 2009, he had no idea about the entertainment industry. Regardless, he shares a friendly relationship with both of his parents. “One of the most important relationships in my life is with my parents. Maybe I’m too close to them. My mom is like my best friend,” he revealed. He also spoke about his relationship with his younger brother who he is very close to and feels very protective of.
Being a star kid
The interview made it clear that Ahad Raza Mir does not consider himself to be a ‘star kid’ like some like to call the children of actors. “If someone says you’re an actor because your dad is an actor. Well, no. A, I did not know that he was an actor. B, I went to university, I studied, that’s what I wanted to do,” he said. “I worked professionally in Canada for many years and I think I was just fortunate that when I came to Pakistan, my career started doing well.”
While Ahad has gained popularity in Pakistan due to his acting skills, he has not left theatre for good. “In order to stay sane, I go and do my theatre work in Canada once in a while when I get time. So that kinda resets everything, brings you right back to where you started,” he shared. However, theatre was not what Ahad wanted to restrict himself to and wanted to get into films and dramas.
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When asked about why he chose to come back to Pakistan instead of continuing a career in Canada, the actor mentioned that legacy was partially the reason. Pakistan is where his father and grandfather had pursued their acting careers. Another reason he mentioned was his race. “It was the skin, it was the roles being offered. And the beauty of theatre though was that skin and all that didn’t matter. It was all colour blind. But in the work that I wanted to do, it was tough,” Ahad recalled being offered stereotypical roles of a terrorist or the Indian guy which he did not want to do. “My dad just mentioned going to Pakistan and I thought ‘why didn’t I think of that’, so I went.”
His thoughts on love
The interviewer also asked Ahad what love means to him and while many must have expected him to talk about his romantic love, he spoke about love for humans in general. “Love is just the acceptance of who somebody is and you accept them as yours.”
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Now 27 years old, Ahad Raza Mir married fairly young and it was a question which popped up during the interview as well. “I found the right person. I just connected to her even though we’re two completely different people. Sometimes we’re like magnets, sometimes we’re opposites. but I don’t know, it just made sense to me,” said the actor.
On the work front, Ahad Raza Mir and Sajal Aly, who were last seen together on screen in drama serial Yeh Dil Mera, will next be seen together in an upcoming web series Dhoop ki Deewar on Zee5.
