When it comes to entertainment industries, Hollywood, Bollywood and Lollywood have set forth exceptional content. From award-winning films to record-breaking dramas, both industries have provided uncountable compilations of great work.
Veteran actor Mehmood Sultan had some interesting things to say about working in three different entertainment industries. He began his acting career in 1975 with his first drama but it was the debut feature film ‘Mere Dushman’ in 1976 that he credits for his success. It is interesting to know that he only delivered one dialogue for his debut film, but it was enough to make his career flourish.
Before films, Mehmood worked in a radio show called ‘Radio Pakistan’, Karachi in 1970. It was his first step in the media industry. Little did he know that it was going to be his first step towards a great dream. He moved to the United Kingdom in 1977 to marry and settle down. As he settled into his home the City of Bradford, he carried forward the family tradition of craftmanship by working as an embroider, but his infatuation with acting only started to bloom. A while after his debut film, he began making some notable friends with people from the Pakistani entertainment industry. Film producers such as Mustafa Qureshi, Sultan Rai and comedians like Umer Sharif were all part of his social circle.
Coming to a new country was indeed challenging. Staring everything from scratch is always a difficult task. Not to mention that during 1970s when many of the facilities we enjoy today were not yet invented. Internet was not discovered, telephones were still something people were getting used to and television was trying to make a mark in the world. For Sultan, pursuing a career in acting did not come easily. Many new talents were being recruited. Being able to make a cut for such a spot would have been vigorous to say the least.
Once his career starting to take off, things turned around. He became a prominent member of the film industry and people had started to recognise his talent. He began making his name not just in Pakistan, but Bollywood and even mainstream industries were taking note of his acting talent. It was a long journey, but he was soon getting the popularity he deserved.
Some of his notable projects include Azaadi, Mr. Charlie, Lies We Tell, Gold and Lahore to London. He has been a part of over fifty national and international projects.
While chatting with the legend himself, he had a lot to unravel about his acting journey. Being part of three different entertainment industries surely gives you a wider insight into the workings of the entertainment industry.
While being born and raised in Pakistan, the actor reveals that his most memorable times have been on the sets of British and Bollywood production sets. Talking about his experience, he says: “English movies don’t require dubbing, which is not the case for Bollywood and Lollywood. From a work perspective, English movies are the best” Expressing his thoughts about Pakistani industry today. It seems like he is not as enthusiastic about Lollywood (name given to Pakistan’s film industry) as he was back in the day.
While there are intriguing dramas with amazing storylines coming out, he felt that there was not much happening in terms of film production. “Pakistan has made a Legend of Maula Jatt, but they won’t be able to do another film like that for another ten years. It’s a one heck of an exceptional film”, he says. While being heavily committed in producing and directing dramas, Sultan expresses his dismay about the lack of good films from Pakistan. He said, ‘The Pakistani film industry is way behind Bollywood”.
Getting his big break at acting from Pakistan and contributing to his acting career, Mehmood Sultan feels that the Pakistani film industry has less chance of survival compared to the other industries. Sultan currently still resides in United Kingdom. His career transition has been an amazing one for sure. From coming to the UK working in the embroidery business, to working as a taxi driver, then owning a taxi stand, being in security for more than 18 years to successful stints in TV and films. It’s been an incredible career spanning more than four decades for the Bradford based actor.
One of his biggest dreams now is to travel to Mumbai and experience life not just in the home of Bollywood, but also the place where his father originally came from, before shifting to Karachi during the partition. Here at Asian Sunday, we wish him all the best and hope to see more of the actor’s praise-worthy projects in the near future.
