HAMZA SOHAIL IS PLAYING THE LONG GAME
In the photographs, Hamza Sohail resists urgency. There is no excess in the way he occupies a frame, no rush to impress, no performance for effect. Whether caught in the half-light of a room or leaning into a moment of pause, his presence feels measured, almost withheld. It’s a quality that mirrors his work on screen: internal, deliberate, and self assured. At a time when the industry is increasingly shaped by speed and spectacle, Hamza’s approach feels considered, grounded in instinct rather than reaction.
Perhaps that clarity comes from proximity to the craft, or perhaps from a conscious decision to step away from its noise. Either way, his trajectory has unfolded on his own terms, marked less by haste and more by discovery. As HELLO! Pakistan celebrates its anniversary issue, a moment defined by reflection as much as reinvention, Hamza finds himself in a phase that is neither arrival nor reinvention, but something far more precise: an ongoing understanding of self, of work, and of what it means to endure.
Trends can change, but standards shouldn’t
You’ve grown up in front of an audience that’s increasingly vocal online. Do you think today’s actors are performing as much for the camera as they are for commentary sections?
Opinions have always existed, only the volume has amplified. As an artist, you can’t keep bending your choices to every reaction because then the work starts losing its authenticity. You have to trust the story, trust the instinct behind it, and stay loyal to the world you’re creating. That’s where real art comes from. The outcome is always secondary to that.
You can’t keep bending your choices to every reaction, authenticity is where real art comes from
There’s a certain restraint in your performances that people often describe as “effortless.” Is that something you consciously build, or is it a byproduct of what you choose not to do on screen?
I think sometimes the most honest choice in front of the camera is to not force a moment beyond what it needs or requires. The rest is classified information, (wink, wink).
Sometimes the most honest choice in front of the camera is to not force a moment beyond what it needs
You come from a legacy, but your journey has felt distinctly your own. What’s something about the industry you had to unlearn despite being familiar with it early on?
I think I had to unlearn the fact that familiarity is equivalent to understanding. Every journey is personal. No matter how early you’re exposed to something, the real learning begins when you step into it yourself. You can stand by a river your whole life and still not know what it means to swim against its current. Familiarity can show you the surface, but experience is what really teaches you how to grow and find your own way.
If your career so far were a three-act film, what would you title the chapter you’re in right now and why?
The Discovery. That’s honestly what it feels like, a sense of discovery in this chapter, which makes it very exciting. It feels like I’m only beginning to explore the creature that is Hamza Sohail.
Familiarity can show you the surface but experience is what teaches you how to grow
Streaming platforms and digital storytelling are reshaping how audiences consume content. Has that shift changed the kind of roles you’re drawn to, or how you evaluate a script?
I think the bigger shift is that numbers have started being treated as the loudest measure of success. I’ve never fully agreed with that. I believe popularity and quality do not always move together. Some stories are made for instant consumption and some are made with substance and a creative purpose.
I’m in a phase of discovery, it feels like I’m only beginning to understand the actor I can become
Masses do respond to what feels immediate and familiar. Of course, entertainment is important, that’s what we’re here to do after all. But I also think an industry needs to keep stretching its storytelling because that’s how audiences evolve too. If you look at the entertainment industry in the West, there’s always an effort to offer something fresher, deeper, and slightly more demanding.
I consciously try to walk into some projects knowing they may not always land with the masses, but if they manage to add even a small new note to the larger rhythm of storytelling, I think that attempt already has value. Trends can change, but standards shouldn’t.
What’s a risk creatively or professionally that you haven’t taken yet but feel is necessary for your next phase?
Risk is one of those things that drives me the most as an actor. The harder part is finding material that truly gives you room to take that risk. We’re still in a space where genuinely layered, well-written scripts are rare.
Until the right kind of risk comes along, I think the responsibility is to choose work that either says something real or allows you to experiment in some way or at least entertains with honesty instead of adding to the creative standstill.
Popularity and quality don’t always move together
You’ve played characters that resonate with younger audiences, but what’s a perspective or story you feel Pakistani television still isn’t telling about your generation?
I think it’s getting better, with a few production houses and directors genuinely trying to explore that space. But overall, I still feel Pakistani television hasn’t fully captured how emotionally complex this generation really is.
Young people today are carrying pressure, ambition, confusion, and responsibility all at once, and I think there’s still a lot of that inner world left to be told honestly.
Risk drives me but the real challenge is finding work that allows you to take it
There’s often pressure on actors to maintain a certain public image. What’s something about you that doesn’t quite “fit” the industry’s expectations but you’ve chosen to keep anyway?
I’ve never been someone who feels the need to be constantly visible or switched on. I value my privacy a lot, and I like keeping parts of myself just for myself. I’ve chosen to keep that.
My job is to entertain, and I try to do that through my work. That’s what keeps me happy and allows me to reflect that back into my work as well.
I’ve never felt the need to be constantly visible, privacy is something I’ve chosen to keep
If you could revisit one of your past performances with the experience you have now, what would you do differently and what would you protect at all costs?
Looking back at an old performance can feel like reading your Facebook statuses from 15 years ago, slightly painful and embarrassing. But I also try to go easy on myself because at that time I was doing the best I could with what I knew.
Of course, there are always many things I’d refine now, but I’d protect the sincerity of it at all costs. Discomfort is part of the process. You keep cringing a little every now and then, but hopefully you keep growing.
Longevity, to me, is about showing up with value, not just visibility
How do you personally define longevity in an industry that often rewards immediacy and virality?
For me, longevity is about continuing to show up with value, not just visibility, but value. The rest, I think, every actor has to define for themselves.
I’m outgrowing noise and urgency and growing into stillness and clarity
We’re celebrating 14 years of HELLO! Pakistan this month. Anniversary issues are about milestones but also reinvention. What’s something Hamza Sohail is currently outgrowing, and what is he growing into?
I think I’m outgrowing noise, urgency, and the need to fit into easy definitions. And I’m growing into more stillness and a version of myself that feels clearer and freer, both creatively and personally.
RAPID FIRE
● One role you wish you had said yes to even if it scared you?
There isn’t one honestly. Everything I’ve turned down had its own reason. And as for fear, what scares me usually excites me even more
● A script you’d reject instantly, no matter how big the project?
Any script that aims for noise more than a creative purpose. I lose interest very quickly. No matter how ‘big’ the project is
● Your most unnecessary personality trait on set?
Probably how goofy I get on set. I take my work seriously but in between takes, i’m usually just being silly
● If your life right now had a background score, what would it sound like?
It’d have to be Cornfield Chase by Hanszimmer. It’s been on repeat for a while now
● The most Gen Z thing about you, be honest.
My relationship with memes. I just cant seem to get enough!
● One rumour about you that you’ve secretly enjoyed?
There’ve been enough rumours by now for a few to be true and a few to be absolute fiction. But let’s not rob some people of their favourite hobby
● A co-star who completely surprised you (in a good way)?
I’ve worked with some phenomenal costars. Sajal Ali really surprised me. Her comprehension of the craft is very deep and very dangerous. A different beast of an artist altogether
● Fame is… complete this in three words.
A gift. Temporary. Revealing
● One habit you’d drop before your next project?
Definitely overthinking
● If not acting, what would you realistically be doing right now?
I think even if I wasn’t acting, i’d still be creating something in some form
● The last thing that genuinely humbled you?
How little you really control, no matter how much you plan
● One thing you’re still figuring out, not as an actor, but as Hamza
How to stay soft hearted and spread love in a world that usually rewards the opposite
Interview: Sundus Unsar Raja
Photography: Nadir Firoz Khan
Styling & Direction: Rao Ali Khan
Hair & Makeup: Sajid Mehmood