First person: Superstar Khan

Fawad Khan is a superstar, there is no doubt about it; a cross-border, true blue, hysteria-inducing one-of-a-kind phenomenon. The female screams recently echoing through Karachi’s Nueplex cinema were testament to this. Fawad’s acting tryst with Dharma Productions, Kapoor & Sons, had just released and the actor had flown in from the premiere in India to host special screenings in Pakistan.

Predictably — for this is what always happens — an eager, jostling mob of fans crowded Fawad as soon as he walked onto the red carpet. They wanted to shake his hand and congratulate him for his performance or record a few snippets from him on their cell phones or of course, pose with him for umpteen selfies. Surprisingly, his admirers now include a fair smattering of males aside from the usual milieu of smitten ladies. The latter has long been swooning over the indelibly attractive combination that forms Fawad, the drop-dead gorgeous successful actor melded with the refined family man. The former have been won over by his considerable acting mettle.
Fawad seemed unperturbed by the cataclysmia surrounding him. Graciously, he proceeded to click selfies with record-breaking speed — he’s been doing it for so long that he’s now a natural at it. That’s bona fide 21st century superstar behavior as we know it.
Fawad’s also become more prolific during interviews, spending less time pondering and coming up with prompt, characteristically precise answers. This is something I observe out loud to him when I talk to him immediately following K&S’ Indian premiere.

Fawad Khan is veritable hot Bollywood property now, the hero who has easily traversed the Indo-Pak divide and skyrocketed to stardom

“I have always been comfortable during interviews,” he is quick to correct me, “although perhaps my answers are more to the point now.”

Is he no longer afraid of being misquoted? “I don’t think I have ever been misquoted on a serious issue,” he says. “Sometimes, funny things do happen though. For instance, I was asked which movie’s remake would I like to act in and I replied Guide. I was misheard to have said Ghayal. Similarly, I was misinterpreted to have stated that I was offered a role in the movie ‘PK’ when I never was! But it isn’t a big deal.”

So begins my talk with Fawad Khan, the hero who has easily traversed the Indo-Pak divide and skyrocketed to stardom. He is veritable hot Bollywood property now, with a big banner Karan Johar hit to his credit — going by the initial box office innings — a Filmfare award last year for Best Male Debut and he is seen in the social pages hobnobbing with Bollywood’s ‘it’ crème de la crème. And yet, this ‘superstar’, relatively more eloquent Fawad still continues to be politically correct, ‘to the point’ and rarely but deliciously, not so much …

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