Arez Ahmed: All It Took Was A Breakup That Led Him To His First Acting Role
A day ago, the young actor went on a confessional spree via his Instagram and gave an insight into his personal life: what made him get into acting in the first place. The reason Arez gave in to his confession was due to time being spent in complete social isolation amid the coronavirus outbreak. Arez Ahmed along with his publicist Danish Maqsood sat down with HELLO! and filled us in on all that we needed to know about the upcoming actor.
Well, Arez is not a new kid on the block, he's been part of the industry for quite some time but after Kahin Deep Jalay people have started noticing him and are recognizing him everywhere he goes. ‘I am not new to acting. I got into theater first, then a film happened that got shelved and then TV happened. I have never been a social media addict, so I never paid attention to this aspect of the industry as well. Lately, I realized it’, said Arez.
When asked about his upcoming projects, he sounded very confident and enthusiastic about them. ‘Tadap is the next play where you guys can see me in. It is a play by BJ and MD Productions. I am loving the response that I have received after the initial promos. Then there is Mehar Posh directed by Mazhar Moin and produced by 7thSky and lastly, Uraan directed by Shaqielle Khan (Shaq) and produced by 7thSky. All three plays are different from each other. The characters I am playing in each one of them is very unique from the other one. So, I am very excited, to say the least’.
When asked about his personal life: ‘I belong to a non-entertainment industry family. I have people in my family as bankers, from forces, airlines and I have a total of 18 doctors in my family but, I'm the only one working as an actor’.
When asked how he got into the entertainment industry, he told us a rather interesting story. He said:
‘The first time I realized I could be an actor was when I performed in my university CMB. It was my first semester and a friend of mine asked me to act in a play she would direct. I said ‘yes, why not?’, things we do for love (he smiled). Still can't forget the moment; lights went on and I could see the silhouettes of people sitting in the auditorium. I could hear myself breathe. It is that moment I can never forget. The play was a success and my performance was praised. Not many times in my life I've been praised. I'm like the child who has been an underachiever in the family. Long story short, for some reasons I had to leave that thought of becoming an actor and went on to join the merchant navy. I did my bachelor's and got a degree in Maritime Studies. It was during my first final semester that I went through a nasty breakup. You know it isn’t a nice feeling to be dumped and that too because that you're not good enough’. He continued, ‘I completed my bachelor's, made my CV, went out to apply for a job but, threw my CV in the garbage bin near my house and decided to become an actor. It was anger at first that sparked this decision. I joined NAPA, pursued theatre for a good two years and went for auditions’.
He further told us that he auditioned for a movie and got selected. Arez said, 'I gave more than two years to a film project which got shelved and never got released to date. This incident also jolted me'.
He got a bit teary-eyed when he started to talk about the nasty breakup that he had very early in his career. ‘During that time, I was dating someone and she left me thinking that I didn’t have what it takes to make it in this world. The feeling of being superior and me being inferior was what she left me with. That was another incident that changed my whole perspective towards life and this world. Even I don’t blame her for leaving me because before that incident, I was a very carefree guy who had no solid aims or ambitions. So yes, a girl dumped me, it hurt my ego and I decided to take things seriously and become an actor. Plus, I have always been a stubborn kid, so once I decide that I want to do something, I do it and I do it very well. Secondly, she was very convinced that my acting career would never see the light of day. She left me saying that she deserves better. I tried my best to stop her but, she didn’t. She left me, got married and settled abroad. And funny thing is that today she is not in this industry and here I am giving this interview to you guys’.
‘Heartbreak being the reason in a way that the girl I was dating was also an actress but, she left me after her first project. I felt anger and that was one of the biggest reasons for me to start acting: to prove that I can do it too! I can act too!'
'After my love life collapsed, I knew I couldn’t give up so I started going for auditions. Every day I would go for at least four to five auditions. I would commute via public transport because I didn’t have a car back then. Things were pretty rough'.
Arez waited for a while before he went to give more auditions. He got rejected seven to eight times from the same production house. According to him, this was probably the lowest point in his life but, they say things get better after they get worse and he got his first project which was a soap and after that Bholi Bano happened. It was a huge hit, a success. ‘I sat at home, happy that now my phone's going to ring and I'm going to get offers from everywhere’, he recalled.
With a sigh, he added, 'I waited for seven months for that call that I never got. When I think about it now I realize that the best decision of my life was taken by that girl who left me. If it wasn't for her I would not have made it. The feeling of not being good enough was what made me take a leap of faith. I'm often asked if I have a backup plan, well, I don't. If you must fall, you fall forward. I don't believe in backup plans. Give yourself no room to fail. You fall forward, you get up again and work harder, work smarter. What she did to me was brutal but, me being a carefree guy would not have put my life in order any other way. No, it is not anger anymore. It is the joy of work, I mean I love what I do and I will continue to do it as long as I can'.
His face lit up when he talked about his projects. Arez received a lot of appreciation for his roles in dramas like Shahrukh Ki Saaliyaan and Kahin Deep Jalay. He further added, 'I am totally ecstatic with the feedback I have received from Kahin Deep Jalay. People are coming to me for selfies whenever I am in a public place. So yeah, it feels amazing to be recognized as an actor finally'.
An interesting fact is that the girl he was dating was the same girl who told him about the play at university; she helped him in the rehearsals and she has a major part in him being an actor right now. 'The break up turned out to be a blessing in disguise for me'.
'I think what heartbreak teaches you, no one can. It is the best teacher and after this, you either become bitter or better. I became better for sure'.
Arez Ahmed is a rising star of our Pakistani entertainment industry and you can expect a lot from him. Lately, he has been very active on his Instagram and Facebook. Follow him on his social media handles to know more about him. Arez has a film in the pipeline too called Senti Aur Mental. We just can’t wait to see him on the big screen and we wish him all the very best for all his future endeavors.