Ruling over Lollywood for over a decade from now, Star Saleem Sheikh with his in-born acting abilities shares his piece of mind with Fashion Central, revealing about his personal and professional life and the many faces to it.
1. You have had a long relationship with the film world; how has this turned out to be career wise?
Yes, the relationship has yielded results, certainly fruitful from my point of view; I have done a lot of films, some very successful and I have a large fan following.
The film medium however is under tremendous stress, facing competition from the channels and needs to gear up by producing quality work.
2. If you look back at your initial years, as an actor, what difficulties did you face?
I started with small plays, did a lot of hard work but learnt artistic skills in the process which have helped me in good stead.
3. Do you think you are a born actor?
Yes, I am and feel glad that my fans think so too.
4. In the beginning when you went through romantic scenes with heroines, was it a nervous time or did you take it in your normal stride?
Here and there I did feel a little overawed especially when the feminine one was awesome but then the manliness in me always took over and romance simply oozed out of me; virtually most of the time.
5. Working in the shadow of your elder brother who was a star, has this given you some advantage?
Because of him I did get facilitated in seeking entry into ‘power corridors’ of the film world; yet the comparison with him by the pundits always made me uneasy and I had to get over it through some superb performances.
6. Now that you are a celebrity and a known face in public, how do you adjust to the limelight and appear normal?
In this regards, supportive fans are always a big help plus of course the self confidence, which is a Gift of God.
7. Any embarrassing moments faced on account of your celebrity status?
I don’t feel comfortable when beautiful wives, in the presence of their husbands, give me those alluring looks.
8. Your gurus in this line of business; who are they and do you still seek inspiration from them?
Shoaib Mansoor, Syed Noor, Jawed Sheikh, yes I still seek inspiration from them and always will.
9. How do you schedule your daily routine?
Depends on my workload if there is no shoot then family is my first love. And that is also the time when I passionately watch top of the line movies and listen to music. While watching movies I act as a learner, a critic and add to my reservoir of finer points.
10. The busy shooting days, are they a bother?
Not really, in fact they are energy boosters.
11. Your favorite actor, actress and director?
Nicholas Cage, Demi More & Amir Khan.
12. Are you satisfied with the production equipment and technology available in our film studios?
NO they are outdated, nobody has made an effort to improve technology related to films and I wish, we as actors can put better sense into those responsible.
13. Will you share with us your family life?
My three lovely daughters are my heart and soul. Time spent with them is incredibly heartwarming and Nosheen, my life partner is always a source of inspiration.
14. Your plans for the next three years?
Currently I am busy producing dramas for TV channels. And I plan to diversify into other areas of business in the next couple of years.
I don’t feel comfortable when beautiful wives, in the presence of their husbands, give me those alluring looks.