Actor turned producer, Hareem Farooq can best be defined as unconventional. With films like Janaan, Dobara Phir Se, Parchi and Heer Maan Ja to her credit, and a few notable roles on television like Dusri Biwi, Diyar e Dil and Sanam, Hareem is one of those actors who are talented yet not often seen on screen. She has been missing from television for over two years and that’s is quite a long break for a female actor. But the actor doesn’t believe so. She wants to create her own path and is unapologetic about it.
In a conversation with Aamna Isani of Something Haute, Hareem shares about her long hiatus, how she takes her mistakes as lessons, the challenges of being a producer, her upcoming drama series 22 Qadam with Wahaj Ali and a lot more about her co-stars.
Her journey in the industry
“People think that I’m very choosy or moody but I want to know what I can really perform well. I want to know what I am good at. I want challenges. I have always believed that I want to make a name for myself and make my own path so there’s no need to rush. I think you can always create you own formula of success without blindly following the norms of the industry,” she said.
Challenges of being a producer
“There is no set that doesn’t encounter problems from theater and TV to a film set. Our industry and work totally depends on people. It is very difficult to take everyone along; you have to make compromises and be mindful to maintain a good working environment. I think the best way to tackle egos is to talk to people as humans, not taking into account who they are or who they are not,” she said.
“It is the producer’s job has to set the tone on any job. Harassment or cases of misbehavior haven’t been reported to me on my sets. But as a producer, I have to stand with my team or crew and defend them but that doesn’t mean that they can misbehave with anyone. I have to be responsible and train them to be responsible,” she emphasized.
The hard work behind ’22 Qadam’
22 Qadam is a story of female cricketers. It is for the Green Channel, which will launch soon. Hareem is the producer and is playing one of the lead cricketers. She is paired with Wahaj Ali. The series will have 26 plus episodes and stars a bundle of new talent.
“I think it is a dreamer’s story. It is about dreaming and then running for it,” she defined the drama series.
“We were sitting in the office of Green Channel with a different script which had a character of a female cricketer. During brainstorming, all of us came up with the same idea to make a story on female cricket. What better way to empower women than sports? Give them the confidence and let’s start a conversation. Then, it lead us to our collaboration with the PCB,” she said.
Her injury
“I thought that if I have to play a cricketer then I should at least know how to play the game. I started training and then one fine day when I was bowling my best overs, I over-trained myself in excitement and felt a sharp pain from my meg to my butt. Within two days of the incident, I fell on my right leg and was in bed for 40 days. As it turned out my hamstring got ruptured and my sciatica got provoked,” Hareem shared.
“I have to thank my team and my director because 80% of our drama revolves around the game. And there are multiple shots of every take and they helped me so much to shoot with an injury. I limped throughout the shoot. This made me realize the sufferings and pain of an athlete,” she added.
Working with Wahaj Ali
“A pleasure and it was a blast to work with him. He is playing a sportsman and he is the heart of the story,” Hareem said while insisting that she can’t reveal more.
“Though we were shooting in the most severe conditions when the temperature was 40 degrees in June in an open ground. We all became four shades darker than our complexions. It was the most challenging shoot but it was a good experience.”
“We auditioned girls from the Under-19 cricket club and they were so passionate about it. We really hope the project helps them groom and paves a way for them to achieve their dreams,” she added.
Watch her full interview here:
