He’s known outside the film industry for iconic music videos such as Fuzon’s 'Khamaaj' and Ali Azmat’s 'Na Re Na' but within the industry he was always considered the ad film-maker most likely to make cinema and succeed at it.
Yet Saqib Malik’s first announced effort in 2007, Ajnabi Sheher Mein, never saw the light of day.
Images on Sunday sat down with the hardworking ad film-maker and former film critic to see where he’s at and to get his take on Pakistani cinema’s current scene.
Let’s start by asking: where is Saqib Malik?
Saqib Malik: He has just turned 50! I should be going through a mid-life crisis but luckily, I’m not. I’m very charged and excited and I’m going through a transition period. I have been in advertising since 1988, which is almost 28 years, and then making commercials for over 22 years.
However, I’ve always wanted to do films. In fact, I was the first one from my generation of ad film-makers who wanted to do a film, but I never got to make one.
Presently, I’m getting the scripts done for four of my films, one of which will be going on the floor by February, hopefully. It’s a very good project but I shouldn’t be talking about it beforehand as experience shows that if I’m too charged about anything—and ready to do something—things usually fall flat.
Expectations from your first film run high. You do know that?
SM: Yes. I will be heavily judged by my film as my fellow directors have been judged by their first films; these films became an indicator of their talent. So I’m being careful in taking the first step.
I will not do a film just because others did a film. It has to be a film that I believe in and that’s exactly why I have put aside a few scripts that we developed earlier.
I want to do a film only when I believe that the script I have in hand is tight. It has to be something that’s close to my heart. And even if it’s not it has to be something that I know will work and the audience will enjoy. Ultimately, I’m a neurotic perfectionist.
How many film scripts have you been working on?
SM: I’ve been working on three to four scripts. I’ve got three scripts ready of my own, that I commissioned. One was written by Ali Sikander, and one is being written by Irfan Ahmed Urfi and another one is being written by Osman Khalid Butt. And I also have my own script that Sarmad Khoosat has written, Ajnabi Sheher Mein, which is great and one of these days, it needs to be re-looked at.
Also, I’m very keen that Faseeh Bari will write something for me as well. We had started working on something earlier but it didn’t work out but now we are planning on working on it again. I will probably have five to six scripts and I think I will start a film company and give it to other directors to make films. But before that, I might be doing a film for a media house very soon, that is not one of my own scripts.
You have seen the films made by your contemporaries from the ad world such as Asad-ul-Haq, Asim Reza and Jami?
SM: Very closely. I have watched their films and enjoyed them from my point of view. But why just these three? I believe that Nadeem Baig is also my contemporary and I thoroughly enjoyed his film too. I have always loved Pakistani cinema and I’m an avid viewer of Pakistani films since the early ’70s. In fact, I used to review and write about Pakistani films.
I've been following the new Pakistani cinema and I’m loving it. Also, I have been a jury member on the KaraFilm Festival and the Lux Style Awards (film jury) so I've been watching all the new films critically. Also, because I have to know what kind of films are being made and what people like and dislike before I can make one for them.