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Despite having only two released films to his credit Bilal Ashraf has become something of a media darling.

And on the acting front, while his performance in debut film Janaan was criticised, I saw a remarkable improvement in Yalghaar.

As he was one of the few actors who managed to leave a lasting impact with their emotional rawness in Yalghaar, I was adamant about interviewing Bilal after Yalghaar's Islamabad premiere. We caught up the day after -- read on.

Images: Yalghaar has been a better showcase of your acting potential than your debut film Jaanan Why did you think that is?

Bilal Ashraf: I think I’m a director’s actor. I truly believe that a director has the power to make or break an actor. As an actor, you can shoot over 20 takes for a particular scene, but the audience gets to see what the director wishes to show. That said, I am who I am because of Janaan. Even though my character was extremely one-dimensional, people seemed to have loved it; not only in Pakistan, but globally.

I think even in [my upcoming film] Rangreza, our director Aamir [Mohiuddin] personally helped me in bringing my character to life. Apart from that, I feel I grew as an actor working alongside the top notch actors of our industry. I mean I don’t think it gets bigger than Shaan.

Images: Did it get frustrating as an actor to be a part of a film that was in the making for over three years?

Bilal: Definitely, it does! Especially with a film like Yalghaar, you’re expected to maintain a certain look and physique. It’s not easy to do that. The same goes for the other actors as well, everyone’s been so occupied with their characters for all this time.

However, I believe in looking at the bigger picture. Our director and ADs (assistant directors) are never exposed to the camera, but they’re the people who’ve kept Yalghaar together and combined all of us. We believed in the final product as a family.

Also read: 5 fascinating things we learnt about Yalghaar at its trailer launch

Images: Do you think an all-star film does justice to its cast in terms of screen time?

Bilal: In totality, all characters in the film are important. Every role in the film ties it all together, big or small, even if you take out a single character, the film loses its impact completely. In Yalghaar, I want the audience to look at the actors as their characters, nothing else.

Images: Is it inevitable to have on-set insecurities when one has an ensemble cast like Yalghaar does?

Bilal: Not at all! With Yalghaar, everyone knew the script, their characters and what they had signed up for. I think the senior actors were brilliant. I think not only me, but all other young actors learnt so much from Shaan, Humayun [Saeed], Ayub [Khoso] and Adnan [Siddiqui].

The set was like being with family. Regardless of whether a film is big or small, it does have its share of ups and downs. At the end of the day, the atmosphere on-set was fun and I feel everyone does remain friends even now. We’ve all moved on to other projects, but stay in touch. In fact, I worked with Armeena on Janaan after I had worked with her on Yalghaar.

Images: The general trend is that that light-hearted films or romantic dramas do well on Eid. What do you have to say about Yalghaar fighting the box office battle with Mehrunisa V Lub U?

Bilal: I think we need to break out of that mindset now. A film is a film; you can’t time-trap it. Of course there's a major difference between the films that are released over the summer and the winter, mainly because there's higher probability of cinema-going in summer due to vacations. However, limiting a film to a specific date is unfair. All sorts of films release throughout the year across the globe, they don’t bind certain genres to come out only on designated occasions.

I feel Yalghaar had a fighting chance on Eid because there was a nine-day weekend, plus the film features over 20 popular actors whose fans will watch the film for them. I feel it has a lot to offer in terms of acting and the army sentiments are also high. The film has a very powerful opening and ends at a very emotional note. I feel my purpose of doing Yalghaar was to bring the audience into tears with my performance. It’s a film that will connect at various levels and you will like something or the other about it. There’s something for everyone.

That said, I want both films to do well since I know they’re both honest efforts of taking local cinema forward. Sana [Javed] is a very dear friend and from what I’ve seen in the trailers thus far, she’s done a great job. I think even Danish looks great. If a film has strength, it will do well. It’s as simple as that.

Images: You’ve also worked on Yalghaar as its Visual Effects Director. Would you want to continue working behind the camera?

Bilal: I am currently enjoying acting, but if I feel I can do justice to a film, I would like to work behind the camera. As far as direction goes, I think I can take it up to the next level, visually. And I can’t do that just by talking about it; I want to share my vision by directing. It does get exhausting, but I’ve learnt a lot from Yalghaar. I don’t mind multi-tasking as long as everything is planned and I have an efficient team on board. It’s been proven time and again that there can be no one-man-show; it’s always team work.

Images: Shaan and Armeena Khan opted out of the film’s promotions. What’s your take on the controversies that surround the film?

Bilal: I think Armeena tweeted something because of a few personal reasons, but she soon deleted it and she’s very much a part of the promotions. There were these rumors that Shaan only has a cameo in the film, but there’s no truth to that because he’s actually the protagonist. Like I said earlier, I feel when a project is in the making for too long, it does create frustrations. Our journey with Yalghaar was tough, but it was truly all worth it.

The fact that Hamza refused to promote Jawani Phir Nahi Ani actually built hype for the film. At the end of the day, it's publicity; that’s how I look at it. People are intrigued to know what all is happening and they would want to watch the film to see it prevail.

Images: It’s said that you’ve declined a number of television projects. Do you think local cinema has enough to offer — in terms of money and diversity?

Bilal: Most definitely. Cinema is growing by the day and I believe in the films that Pakistan is making. As an actor, you need to own your projects; you can’t go back and forth between films and television. Also, I feel there’re very similar characters in every drama serial. It’s like you’re all over the place.

I agree that some of Pakistan’s greatest talents has come from television, but in terms of valuing yourself as an actor, I personally feel I have more room to grow and evolve in films. I also feel very passionately about cinema and I think it’s my duty to help the industry as much as possible.

Images: You’ve also turned writer for a superhero trilogy. What can you tell us about it?

Bilal: Well it’s a story that I’ve been working on for over four years. It’s a definite trilogy because I feel I can't complete it in one go. Every installment has different characters developing gradually as the story progresses. That’s how I’ve planned it since I feel I wouldn’t have been able to do it justice. It’s something I’ve actually grown up with. I’ve always had such ideas and I used to discuss them with my late sister, so this project is very close to my heart. She wanted to do it, so in a way I am finishing what she couldn’t do. It’s a project I’ve been living with.

The superhero is actually locally inspired. It’s all about Pakistan. What I can reveal is that it’s not one of those spandex-wearing, running from one-place-to-another kind of superhero. It’s a lot more real.

Images: Now, what about the future? What kind of film would you like to take up next?

Bilal: I simply need to feel the project and the character that I’m offered. I need to see how passionate the team behind it is. And by now, I know what technical aspects are required as well. Overall, I need to connect with the script. In terms of versatility, I think its better not to jump into characters, but then that’s not in one’s control. Ideally, I would’ve done my second film after getting out of my Capt. Bilal mode; during which I shot for Janaan.

What I do know is that I will experiment. I feel that’s the only way you can grow. Asfandyar was an always-angry Pakhtun, but Capt. Bilal has so many dimensions to him. He’s not only an SSG commando, but the film explores him as a person off-duty as well. In Rangreza, I get to play a musician. So you see all my characters thus far have been extremely different and that’s exactly how I want it to be in the future as well.