Cake actor Mohammad Ahmed on being typecast as a 'girl dad' in TV shows

Some actors may not be the 'star of the show' but their presence in supporting roles is what uplifts an entire scene, moves the story forward, and capture's the audience's interest.

One such actor is Mohammad Ahmed, whose face is instantly recognisable across mainstream media channels in Pakistan.

The actor recently spoke of his journey in the entertainment industry in an interview with BBC Urdu, joking that his character ends up facing demise in almost every single one of his projects. "The first question I ask is which episode am I (the character) dying in."

"The father has to die in every serial. Whenever you want to portray the heroine as the utmost victim, the first thing you do is cut off her support; she is left alone in the world to face her circumstances."

Speaking about Hum TV's Sabaat, the actor also drew parallels to his own life.

"If I wasn't a father to daughters, I wouldn't have been able to portray these roles on screen. In my personal life, my wife and I decided we will give our daughters the best of education and the same has been reflected on television."

However, the Ruswai star said he did not mind the typecasting.

"I played a vegetable vendor in Dulhan and I did it because although he was also a loving father, his way of portraying it was different. His body language was different. Which means I can still explore [acting] despite the typecasting."

He also laughed at how his negative character was still received in a positive light in Laal Kabootar, with an audience member labelling him as the most "innocent gangster" they had ever seen. Despite the multitude of roles under his belt, he owes his popularity to Asim Abbasi's Cake after which people started noticing him.

"I was in extreme depression for a while after my writing era ended. I kept writing, trying to write, justifying to people that I knew how to write. Then came the time when I had to abandon it completely."

However, the actor revealed that he has written a movie called Madam Jee for Mehreen Jabbar, the fate of which is oscillating due to the coronavirus. "It is difficult to find financing for the kind of movies she makes," he admitted, also adding that he wrote a drama for Nadeem Baig which could be categorised as "bold".

"I don't mind it being bold, it might also be controversial. I just can't stand TV serials being preposterous."

Revealing that his upcoming serial is Aulaad, the actor said that at least he won't be dying in this one.