Ali Zafar comes clean on controversies. The Pakistani singer-actor brunches with Gulf News tabloid! and gives us plenty to chew on as he discusses films and controversies.
Read the full Gulf News article:
https://gulfnews.com/life-style/celebrity/desi-news/ali-zafar-comes-clean-with-teefa-in-trouble-1.2252414
See more at: http://gulfnews.com/videos
Read the full Gulf News article:
https://gulfnews.com/life-style/celebrity/desi-news/ali-zafar-comes-clean-with-teefa-in-trouble-1.2252414
See more at: http://gulfnews.com/videos
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NewsTranscript
00:00Nice to see you. How are you doing?
00:06And congratulations on your debut.
00:10Happy about it? That you both are making your debuts, right?
00:13Yes.
00:14So you all didn't have breakfast either?
00:16Yes, I had a total breakfast.
00:18I didn't.
00:19You did?
00:20I like that. I like how he prepares for a brunch.
00:22It's a marathon. Do you know about Dubai? The best thing about Dubai are the brunches.
00:27It's an institution itself. This is a very sedate brunch. Usually it gets very rowdy after.
00:33Things catch up, you know, once people are in the mood.
00:37If anybody has any preference of allergies to be taken care of?
00:40Dairy, gluten.
00:42You want no oil and all of that?
00:44No, no.
00:45Come on, be a diva. This is the time when you can say no oil, no yogurt.
00:49Shooting is over.
00:51It's her first film actually. It's my first Pakistani film after having done seven in Bollywood.
00:57And it's my home production, my first home production with my studio Lighting Game Productions.
01:03I put in everything that I had in every way possible. Physically, emotionally, financially, economically.
01:11Just so that I could contribute into developing our industry and give Pakistan a film that all the Pakistanis are proud of nationally and internationally.
01:24How did you all discover, like, how did you get your first movie?
01:30I was doing a TV series as well.
01:33So one day I got a call from Essencer, the actor.
01:37So he said, we have this script and we want you to give an audition.
01:41I said, okay, why not? I went to India to give an audition. So why not in Pakistan for our industry?
01:46So I went to give an audition at his place.
01:50That was so bad. That was so pathetic. You have no idea.
01:54I do.
01:55You saw the tears.
01:57How nice. Oh my God.
01:59She lived through it though. And you lived through it too.
02:02When she gave the first one, she was going through a phase in life, personally, because she had just lost her father.
02:10But still, that was a bad audition, honestly.
02:13As a true actress, she's completely like, okay, even in her own eyes.
02:17And the improvement from the first time to the second time was so remarkable,
02:21that we felt that this girl can really grow and improve.
02:26And then from the second to the third, it was even better.
02:30And there was just one last left to seal the deal.
02:34And she came and she sealed it.
02:36I see. I see. All right.
02:38When we were casting her, the first conversation with Maya was,
02:42Do you have any issues? Any issues in life?
02:46Any mood issues? Any attitude problems?
02:49We actually asked all these questions to imagine.
02:51Punctuality issues? Anything?
02:53It's like a conduct certificate kind of thing.
02:56Because I said that, listen, we're going to be working very hard.
02:59And we want to work like a family, everybody together, like friends and all that.
03:04But then she said, I promise I will be there whenever and however.
03:08And I'll do my best and give it my best. And she did.
03:11So it will show.
03:13I tried to give my best.
03:15You know, I knew him that he's the Ali Zafar, but...
03:19The Ali Zafar.
03:21He's sitting right in front of you.
03:24The Ali Zafar?
03:26Nice to hear that.
03:28But after working him, then I got to know the whole struggle story,
03:33about his career and all, how he came to this industry,
03:38No, you're very self-made though.
03:40Yeah, he is.
03:41One thing that I take pride in, I won't say that I'm proud of,
03:45but I take pride in the fact that I've worked really hard in my life
03:50to make it to wherever I am.
03:53And even here, I think this is just the beginning for me.
03:56Because I consider myself as a student, as a seeker,
04:01as somebody who's going through this infinite process of evolution and growth,
04:06and in this particular life, in this time span,
04:09I need to make the best of this life, in this body, as this person.
04:14And utilize all my capabilities that God has granted me with.
04:18And if I don't, I'll be unfair to myself and the creator.
04:23Which is why I feel it is important to be working all the time and work hard.
04:28I know. You've not taken a break, have you?
04:30For a long time, I haven't.
04:32Ali, it's been a troubled year for you. You know it.
04:34How are you facing it all?
04:36As I said, inner strength.
04:38And that comes with, what do you call it,
04:43with practice, with meditation.
04:46And not just that, the thing is,
04:49my concepts have been very clear.
04:52When you know the truth, you don't worry about anything.
04:56Because ultimately the truth prevails.
04:59And so, I just block any negativity that comes my way.
05:04I just focus on the positive.
05:06And I let nature and God and the system, the natural justice system,
05:12also play its part while you're pursuing it through the legal justice system.
05:17Because that's the best way to go about it.
05:19But it is a very serious allegation.
05:22Especially in this climate, as a woman, you might know.
05:24Meetings have been raging around the world.
05:26Any such allegation is taken seriously.
05:28So do you think it just tarnishes you as an artist as well?
05:33That was the...
05:35I mean, I'm just thinking, everybody might even look at a movie now
05:38and decide whether to watch it or not, based on this blemish.
05:41So, do you share that?
05:43So that's the thing.
05:44See, the thing with blemishes is,
05:46the analogy is,
05:48that you're wearing a white sherwani and you've worn it all your life.
05:51Right?
05:52You bought it first, then you cleaned it every day,
05:55then you washed it.
05:56Then you just come and throw something on it,
05:59and it's on there.
06:00It takes time too.
06:01But the thing is,
06:03because I have complete faith in God,
06:05and people's intelligence also,
06:07I think people, by and large,
06:10there's a saying,
06:12that you can fool all people for all the time,
06:15and that you can fool some people for some of the time,
06:19but you cannot fool all people all the time.
06:22Yes.
06:23You got it right.
06:26So, I mean, people understand,
06:28and as things will keep revealing themselves,
06:34with facts,
06:36people will keep understanding.
06:38You're prepping for it.
06:39We've already prepped it.
06:41We've filed a suit in the court,
06:43with all the evidence attached,
06:45as to what went behind all this.
06:48So you are taking it very seriously.
06:50Very seriously.
06:51But even there's another one,
06:53I've read about you,
06:55I'm again not sure what is the real deal,
06:57where people accuse you of putting other artists down.
07:00There's a saying by Michelle Obama,
07:02when they go low, you go high.
07:05So I don't even want to comment on the kind of lows
07:09that are being pursued to damage the reputation,
07:14but the thing is,
07:15again, for me facts are important.
07:18The fact is,
07:19the very co-founder of that Atari portal,
07:24gave out a statement,
07:26nobody from Ali's team,
07:29or Ali requested us,
07:31any such thing as that.
07:33It was an internal conversation between their own employees.
07:36Yeah.
07:37And that got...
07:38That's why I'm saying,
07:39there's a saying,
07:40there's no room for lies.
07:43You can say as much as you want.
07:47I think people have this perception about him,
07:49that he's this kind of a guy,
07:51he's got to know himself.
07:52I've always,
07:53see,
07:54when I speak about respect and reputation,
07:57you've earned it by practically doing things, right?
08:00Exactly.
08:01My entire life I've supported other artists,
08:03I've helped them,
08:04I have,
08:05and without mentioning,
08:07I have,
08:08without advertising,
08:10without telling anyone,
08:11and now,
08:12I find it important to mention and advertise,
08:14that I have been working towards women empowerment,
08:16for the last six, seven years.
08:18We educate women and girls,
08:20and underprivileged children.
08:22Yeah.
08:23And especially our foundation,
08:24the Algebra Foundation,
08:25works in those areas,
08:27where women are subjected to doing odd jobs,
08:31just to earn a small amount of money.
08:33So we are rehabilitating them,
08:35educating them,
08:36and their children,
08:37without putting hashtags on Twitter.
08:44Algebra Foundation
08:46www.algebrafoundation.org