Aijaz Aslam: I learned to explore myself

FASHION designer turned acclaimed actor Aijaz Aslam has had an extraordinary career that has seen him perfectly portray diverse characters in a massive number of drama serials.

The prolific Pakistani star has taken on challenging roles during his distinguished career, including playing the antagonist in recent drama Uraan and a memorable turn in recently concluded hit serial Nand. The big thinking star has also ventured beyond entertaining millions of viewers by launching a natural skincare brand.

Eastern Eye caught up with Aijaz Aslam to discuss his cool career, creative inspirations, and

latest venture.

How do you look back on your amazing journey?

When I look back, I don’t regret anything. I always believed in taking risks. If I was successful, I appreciated my efforts and when I failed, I learned from my mistakes. In my journey I learned how to appreciate people who are happy in your success and stay at a distance from those who are not happy with your achievements.

As an actor, which roles are closest to your heart?

I try to do justice to every role I do. I’ve done comedy, serious drama and lots of other characters. I felt close to the character I played in 2008 drama Sherdil. I wanted to become a fighter-pilot as a kid; being close to F16 and other fighter planes was a dream come true. I was lucky enough to experience that energy while shooting around those magnificent metal birds.

Which other serials are close to your heart?

As an actor, Cheekh was a favourite drama, as I had so many shades to perform with that character. I feel such people exist in our society. The end part was challenging, but I loved doing it.

You are loved by fans, so what was the experience of playing a negative role in your recent series Uraan?

I have done negative roles before and believe they always have a better performance margin. My fans loved me in that character and the changeover from Nand to Uraan.

You have played a wide variety of characters, but do you have a dream role?

I have a dream of doing a proper action-packed role with fights and car chase sequences.

Tell us about the new brand you launched?

I have launched my natural and herbal skincare brand. People have always known me for my health, fitness and clean eating habits. I have always believed in natural organic products, and wanted to share my research and years of experience with people who follow me. So I launched this brand. It took a lot of time because I didn’t want to do low quality stuff. I wanted to deliver what I claim for my products. I’m thankful to all my customers for believing in my products.

Will you explore other avenues in the future?

Yes, I’m working on other natural products and supplements, which should be effective and harmless. There are a few things that are in the research and development phase. I will continue to keep working on unique products for everyone.

So, what is your masterplan going forward?

For me the master plan means consistency and not losing focus. Whenever we start something, we get distracted by a few indivi- duals, who only tell you the worst things about your plans, not showing you the brighter side. Our brain has the power to attract positivity, so the plan should be to just stick to your master plan without losing focus.

What inspires you creatively? 

Everything inspires me if I look at the positive side of it. To me, creativity is all about learning from your mistakes. Creativity is also about taking risks, growing, inventing and having fun with what you are doing.

What kind of content do you enjoy as an audience? 

Anything that I start watching and instantly get hooked to until it ends.

What is the biggest life lesson lockdown has taught you?

I learned to explore myself during lockdown. I gave time to myself to explore things, which I

never had time to do. I prepared to launch my brand in lockdown. I finished all my research and development in that time, to bring out the best. So I guess giving time to my passions and exploring my hidden talents was the lesson I learned.