Interaction Session with Osama Tahir: Life Advices and Hearty Conversation
Just as we were being thrown over the edge of yet another wave of COVID terror, NMC brought to us a fun-filled episode of lighthearted chit-chat, proving once again that it always has our online entertainment needs covered.
The episode aired on the last day of February, featuring actor, producer, and model Osama Tahir. It was led by the jovial host Ayesha Shahzad, who left no stone unturned in providing our viewers with a peek into Osama’s life.
The show began with Osama diving straight into his journey of 2021 so far, reflecting on the fact that this year has been far better than the one we just passed. He was excited about what the future held for him, hoping that the cinemas would open soon and that the movie industry may experience a boost.
When asked how he developed an interest in theatre, Osama narrated an engaging story. He had a friend with him in accounting, and Osama wasn’t a fan of the subject. Consequently, at one particular instance, Osama and his friend were contemplating what to do with their life (a conundrum that we are all very familiar with). They both were studying a subject that they didn’t like, and yet they were in the throes of pursuing it.
It so happened that his friend told Osama about an acquaintance that was holding auditions for a theatre play. After much encouragement from him, Osama decided to give it a shot. What was the worst that could happen? If he didn’t get selected, he could simply continue studying accounting- a subject that he reiterated once again that he wasn’t a fan of.
Back then, our guest knew nothing about acting but still got the part! Osama reminisced how fun it was during the play and how it would always hold a special place in his heart. This play was what made Osama realize where his true passions lay.
The conversation then flowed into Osama’s life after graduation. He worked in several agencies before entering the food and beverages industry. Even though he always knew he wanted to pursue acting, he never got the chance to do so. The deadly web of life trapped him in its jaws i.e. job, earning money, and climbing up the ranks till you are a CEO.
This was until one day when he finally cracked.
He decided to give acting a gamble and due to sheer coincidence and hard work, he got the chance to star in a film, Chalay Thay Sath. Osama went on to tell us that he understood how the security of money holds great importance in our life, which was the reason behind him not pursuing acting in the first place and getting a job instead. However, if you work hard for something, no matter how difficult it might seem, you will eventually make money off of it. All you need is guts, consistent effort, and a small dollop of luck.
To sum it up, when you finally develop an understanding of where your passion lies, you should always pursue it despite the hurdles and the doubts you may have.
When talking about life behind the scenes, Osama told us that it’s not all glitz and glamour as shown on the camera. Being an actor is different from being a celebrity, and if you want to become a celebrity in today’s world, there are many ways to do it. However, being an actor is hard work. Osama himself had to keep trying to get parts in the TV world.
It went something like this: He went to different production houses, told them he starred in a movie, no one really paid heed to the movie and he had to return home with yet another dismissal. Despite that, Osama never failed to try again, which was what led him to his success.
As the episode came to an end, Ayesha and Osama conversed about some of the darker parts of acting. Our guest reminisced about how to play a part well you really needed to be in the character’s shoes- quite literally. More often than not, you forgot the distinction between what was real and what was just acting. You always needed to remind yourself that this was just for the sake of the camera, the lights, and the action.
Osama narrated one of the filming days of Ruswai when Hamza, his character, was crying over his father’s death. Once Osama was done with the scene, he could not let go of the miserable feeling. It got to the point that when he reached home and came upon a piece of unfortunate news which, despite not being too bad of news in retrospect, led him to cry. This just went to show how it was often very difficult to separate yourself from the character. Osama had to remind himself yet again that he was not leading Hamza’s life and that he had to pull himself back to his own world.
Towards the end, Osama told us some of his favorite series, especially emphasizing how Fresh Prince of Bel-Air is hands down the best show of all times (“Please watch it,” he said). He also complained about the Internet, telling us how he could not watch the last season of Game of thrones because, after every episode that was released, he got spoilers from the net almost immediately. We must say that we can definitely relate to that! At the end of this heart-touching and exuberant episode, Osama Tahir left us with some wise words: “Keep failing, keep trying, keep doing different things, don’t just stick to one thing, and question everything, everything in the world.”
