It is likely that you may have come across Komail Anam while surfing TV. You may have registered him as a young actor just beginning his career, learning the ropes while he flitted from playing the romantic hero in a daily soap to enacting the younger brother of the main lead in a major prime time drama. You might have thought that he looks good and is acting well for a beginner.

What would not have struck you is that he was someone who looked like he got his foot in the world of acting utilising his famous roots. Because young Komail, still in his early 20s, may have famous parents, but he is preferring to build his career organically, step by step — the hard way, but also perhaps the more long-lasting way.

As the son of seasoned actor Khaled Anam and publicist Tehmina Khaled and the grandson of veteran TV artists Masooma and Latif Charlie, Komail could have easily relied on a few strategic calls made to certain directors or producers in order to land a pivotal role. But he tells me, when I ask him, that his career didn’t start off that way — I am sure that it’s a question that he is asked often.

“I am in no hurry to enact major characters immediately and to get my parents to call in favours,” says Komail. “I think that the right way of going about things is to learn on the job.

Third generation actor Komail Anam has been learning the ropes and making his way in the world of acting the hard way — the real way

“No one is a natural actor from the very start. I am enjoying gaining experience by playing a variety of characters. When I auditioned for my first acting role two years ago, the director told me that I did not suit the character that I was trying for. Instead, he cast me in a smaller role, telling me that it would be a good way for me to improve my performance.

“I was relieved. Even I had been nervous that I may not be able to do justice to a more pivotal role! In fact, I couldn’t even watch myself in that drama without laughing — I felt that I wasn’t even that great in that other role.”

A few more roles later, does he still laugh when he sees himself on TV? “I think I am improving, slowly,” he smiles. “I am trying not to laugh during scenes. I have this tendency to begin laughing during a scene, especially if it’s a cheesy one.

“My co-star in Badnaseeb, Sana Nadir, would get really irritated with me because I couldn’t control my laughter sometimes. I have tried to work on that — to apply a bit of method acting, in order to play the character better.”

I am curious: what prompts a young boy to tread water in the Pakistani drama industry? Is it financial gain, fame or a love for performing? And doesn’t he get dissuaded by the long drags, repetition and toxic storylines that dominate Pakistani drama narratives?

“Not all dramas are bad,” Komail corrects me. “There are some very good dramas. I do think that there should be more stories where the boy isn’t screaming and bullying everyone. There can be stories where the hero behaves normally. And there are stories like that, sometimes.”

So he watches Pakistani dramas regularly? “My mother is a TV drama buff and I sometimes sit with her and watch an episode or two. It’s how I realised that I wanted to try out acting.”

He continues: “Acting is a performing art and I enjoy how challenging it can be. Fame, on the other hand, doesn’t attract me.”

Could this be because he has grown up around famous people, the movers and shakers of Pakistani entertainment who are friendly with his parents?

“Yes, but it’s also because that’s just the way I am. I don’t get star-struck, for sure. I may get nervous if I am acting with someone that I admire. For instance, I am a big fan of Yumna Zaidi and I went blank for a bit when I was acting with her in Sinf-i-Aahan. But otherwise, I don’t get intimidated. I also don’t want to record every moment of my life and put it out on social media. I don’t dream about people recognising me wherever I go!”

Fame also can result in better wages, I point out to Komail. He muses over this, “Yes, well, then it’s important to want to be famous in order to earn more. That should be your motive.”

Does acting pay well, though? “It can pay very well,” he expounds. “A young 20-something graduate would probably earn around 30,000 rupees from a regular job or, at most, 70,000 rupees. An actor could earn that much in a day. There are opportunities to work in ads, social media collaborations, TVCs [TV commercials]. It may take some time for the earnings to start coming in, but they do come.”

There are also times when actors — particularly young, new actors — don’t get paid at all.

“Yes, but I think that there are good and bad people everywhere, in any career,” says Komail. “There are production houses that actually call actors to come and pick up their pay cheques. We can’t generalise.”

Komail played the romantic hero in Badnaseeb — does he think that, considering his age and looks, that’s the kind of role which suits him best right now?

“No, I think all sorts of roles would suit me. You never know what the audience will like,” he says. “I do want to play characters that have shades. Often, actors are told to act over-the-top, because that’s what audiences supposedly like. I think that it isn’t always necessary to be overly dramatic. Sometimes, there can be subtleties in a performance.”

Taking a leaf out of his father’s life, Komail also sings — in fact, long before he wanted to be an actor, he wanted to be a musician. “I feel lost if my throat is sore and I can’t sing,” he confesses to me. “I am currently learning the basics of classical music from Ustad Inquilab Hussain, one of our country’s finest classical singers. I am also working on my own song and plan to release it soon.”

As in the case of acting, Komail seems to have a lot of the details to his fledgling musical career figured out. “If people like your songs, they want to listen to you more. You can perform in concerts, sing at private parties and corporate events. There are so many ways to build your career and earn more from it.”

I do ask him to sing a song for me — it’s too bad that this write-up can’t be accompanied by an audio note because Komail does sing well! Beyond his singing and acting chops — and his very hero-like looks! — it will perhaps be this young boy’s pragmatism that will help him navigate entertainment’s political minefield successfully. He knows the challenges that await him and he’s willing to weather them while keeping his ultimate goals in sight.

His parents may be averse to nepotism but do they advise him? “Sometimes, yes, but mostly they are just giving me the space to improve on my own.”

That’s just fine.

Published in Dawn, ICON, August 14th, 2022