The show has taken social media by storm.
I am meeting Adnan at a time when he is revelling in the hype surrounding the drama. We have a heavy duty breakfast as we discuss his current career graph. There are times when we veer off-topic — like when I ask him how he’s avoided weight gain and wrinkles over time.
“I eat everything, as you can see,” he gestures at the grand breakfast laid out before us. “But I exercise regularly every day. And I have great genes,” he twinkles.
There’s more, though, to why Adnan Siddiqui is being called one of Pakistan’s best-looking actors right now: there’s the glow of success around him.
He’s basking in critical and commercial acclaim and receiving frequent offers, from playing celebrity showstopper to being the celebrity guest at a high-end wedding. His inbox is cluttered with enthusiastic messages from fans around the world and his Instagram is on a roll as he quips dialogues and scenes, often accompanied by the many famous people around him — Atif Aslam, Shahid Afridi and his costar Humayun Saeed.
His other TV drama, Yeh Dil Mera , alongside Ahad Raza Mir and Sajal Aly, is also on air and its first few episodes have generated positive reviews.
But we focus first on the massive popularity of Mere Paas Tum Ho and how he has “never seen anything like it.”
Adnan observes, “From the direction to the production, acting and even the soundtrack, this drama is so well-packaged. It’s hard to find technical faults in it. It’s amazing how audiences are reacting to certain scenes and dialogues. And it’s being watched by people all over the world. I feel like such a hero,” he smirks.
But you’ve always been a well-loved hero, I point out. “The responses have never been so prompt and so extensive. I think it’s also because we are now living in the age of social media and it’s become easier to assess audience reviews,” he says.
“My first big hit was the drama Uroosa , which was also the first episodic serial that I acted in. Suddenly, I was a big favourite. But back then, my fans were mainly young college girls. Now, the fans are varied; from young girls to older women to men! Did you know that, according to surveys, men comprise 55% of Mere Paas Tum Ho ’s audience?”
"I don’t mind looking old or dabbling with changes in my looks."
No, I did not know this — but I ask him if this could possibly be because the drama has obviously been written from a masculine perspective?
In a recent online interview, the drama’s writer Khalil-ur-Rehman Qamar was openly misogynistic, making some very offensive remarks and stating that a woman who was unfaithful was “not a woman at all” in his eyes.
The drama echoes his views in some of the dialogues and while Adnan may be the no-good wife-stealer, Ayeza’s character is the all-out vamp as the woman who chooses to live with her lover and deserts her husband as well as her child. Doesn’t Adnan feel that the script is more inclined towards discrediting women?
“It is a very well-told story about something that truly does happen in Pakistani society,” he points out.
“That’s how it needs to be looked at. Ayeza may be the villain, but Hira Mani’s character is depicted in a positive light as an independent woman with strong values. Every TV drama has a story to tell and a lesson to give. I don’t think that the drama has been written specifically for men or for women — it is for the Pakistani audience, overall, and they are connecting well to it.”
Still, does he agree with Khalilur Rehman Qamar’s statements? “I wouldn’t have said what he said but that’s just the kind of person he is. He has his opinions and he’s unafraid to say them out loud. But look at the title song that he’s written. How effective his wordplay is. That’s what needs to be appreciated!”
The man seems to be ageing in reverse.
His appreciation of Qamar’s dialogues is quite evident, especially since he has been making plenty of jokes about one very viral dialogue from the drama, where Humayun, spurned by Ayeza, calls her “do takay ki ”.
“The dialogue isn’t offensive because of the situation in which it is said. And yes, even though it is Humayun’s dialogue, I have been having a lot of fun with it,” Adnan smiles. “My social media following is very organic. I don’t have any PR agent and I just post whatever I find funny or interesting. But I think I am pretty good as my personal PR manager!”
Did he worry initially that he was going to be playing the anti-hero in the story and that he may be slammed at large by audiences? Many female actors, for instance, refused to sign up for the role ultimately played by Ayeza Khan because they feared being hated.
“I don’t think so childishly,” says Adnan. “The drama is so beautifully written that anyone would have wanted to be in it. I did joke to Humayun that as always he was going to be playing the hero while I had been cast as the villain.”
“My last project with Humayun was about 20 years ago and we have a great working relationship. During the initial years of our careers, we were often cast together but then I began noticing that he would often get the main role while I would be playing the second lead. That’s when I backed out. I realised that I would be better off finding my way on my own.”
Yeh Dil Mera We turn to the topic of Yeh Dil Mera , his other drama that is currently airing. It’s only into its initial episodes but it’s quite obvious that his character has some very complicated shades.
“Yes, people keep telling me this!” says Adnan. “They say that my character in the drama has multiple personalities. But, really, I wasn’t thinking like that when I played the role.”
“I did very carefully plan out my character’s appearance. I play Sajal’s father and I wanted to have pepper-grey hair, a moustache and a beard. I don’t mind looking old or dabbling with changes in my looks.”