Ever since the death of Bollywood actor Sushant Singh Rajput in June 2020, there has been a lot of debate on nepotism in the film and entertainment industry. While the debate did not gain a lot of traction in Pakistan, it is still being discussed. Ahad Raza Mir, whose father Asif Raza Mir is an established actor, recently discussed the topic on Anas Bukhash’s talk show.
Talking about his childhood, Ahad, who grew up in Canada, said that his father always kept him away from the limelight.
“When I moved back to Pakistan in 2009, I had no idea what this industry was like,” said Ahad.
The actor went on to say that the reason behind this was probably that his father wanted him to make his own independent decisions and not be influenced in any way.
“He just wanted me to live my life,” said Ahad. “He himself is the same outside as he is indoors, it’s not like he becomes a star as soon as he walks out of his house. So I guess he never wanted it to get to my head.”
Ahad then went on to say how there are people who think his presence and success in the industry has everything to do with his father.
“There will always be that criticism that you’re an actor because your father was an actor. But no, I never knew he was and I went to university, studied, worked professionally in Canada for many years and I think I was just fortunate when I came to Pakistan,” said the actor.
He continued: “My career started doing well and people said it’s cause I’m a star kid. But there are doctors whose kids are doctors, there are generations in the army and generations in politics, no one bats an eye. But as soon as there’s a child of an actor who starts doing well, everyone starts yelling ‘nepotism’.”
It is pertinent to add here that Ahad, who debuted in 2017 with Sammi, has several successful projects to his credit including Yakeen ka Safar (for which he bagged a Lux Style Award for Best Actor), Ehd-e-Wafa, and Parwaaz Hai Junoon. He also won the prestigious Betty Mitchell Award for his performance in Hamlet in Canada.
During the conversation, Ahad also opened up about his childhood, his decision to move back to Pakistan and marry young.
“I think it was good, pretty normal, kind of hectic because I moved between Pakistan and Canada, so I guess sometimes identity is a challenge,” said Ahad when asked about how his life was while growing up.
Speaking of his relationship with his parents, Ahad said that he is very close to his parents.
“My mom is my best friend and with my dad, there’s this respect factor, not that there’s any formality, but I’m good friends with my dad too,” he said.
Ahad is married to his Yakeen ka Safar co-star Sajal Aly. The two tied the knot in an intimate ceremony in Abu Dhabi in March 2020.
Meanwhile, Ahad is reportedly all set to step in as executive producer for upcoming film Kalasha.
