One of the most sought after YouTuber in Pakistan, Shahveer Jafry, has made his acting debut recently with web series Baarwan Khiladi. Though the episodic series has only released two episodes so far, Shahveer has left quite an impression on viewers with his first performance and hopefully, will have a long and shinning career in the entertainment industry.
In a conversation with Hassan Choudary of Something Haute, Shahveer talks about his struggles as a young YouTuber, the many TV offer he turned down, and his debut project.
“Growing up, I never had any other idea except to become an entertainer. I used to be a class clown in school. I couldn’t imagine a life where I’m working a 9 to 5 job, I always wanted to do something creative,” he shared.
Talking about his reason to move back to Pakistan, Shahveer said: “I believe that a film industry is a language that a country uses to communicate with the rest of the world. I feel that we (Pakistanis) are very lazy when ti comes to having a medium and nobody wants to work hard. So, I thought that if our generation won’t take this step and enter the entertainment industry to try to do something better. I wanted to come to Pakistan and give it my all to flourish this film industry. This is my only purpose in life,” he said.
Jokingly, Shahveer admits that all his decisions are extremely against his parent’s wishes.
“My parents are very annoyed because of this as well. They think that I deliberately miss out on amazing opportunities. However, when my heart isn’t in a project then I really cannot do it. I only reason I picked Baarwan Khiladi is that the story is a little different than your average entertainment shows that air on TV. I’m waiting for a day when I get offered a role on television that challenges my soul,” Shahveer said.
He is loved by millions of people across all generations and borders. Does he feel the weight or responsibility of so much love?
“Fame is a blessing is disguise; I don’t know what I would do without fame and I don’t know what I would do with it. Fame is at a fine line between sanity and insanity. In order to keep myself grounded, I have started meditation,” he said.
Shahveer’s vision is clear and he knows what he wants to achieve.
“I know what I want to be and that’s the top. I want to be the best actor in Pakistan, I want to be the most successful actor in Pakistan. Now, for me success is to leave behind a legacy for which people remember me always. I want to make a change and represent our society and our culture through the films or the work I do. That’s my goal but how to get there is divided into strategies: firstly, dominant social media strategy, secondly to become a producer myself,” he concluded.
Watch the video to find out his love for fans, when he realized he has made it, his bond with Zaid Ali T and Shaam Idrees, and much more:
