The Asian Outlook.com

"One of the few good men"

Pakistani drama serials are considered to be the best around the world and many of these serials have been translated in various languages of the world. There are very many reasons for these serials to be so successful and attract such a large and diverse audience around the world.

There are a lot of very talented people and many of them are committed to their profession and they put in a lots of hard work this has not only given Pakistan such an incredible name in the world of entertainment but also
has high lighted the strength of our entertainment industry.

It's a real shame that Pakistani film industry cannot match the content,
entertainment or the viewing satisfaction of public at large to the level of the drama serials standards.

One of the main reasons for such high-class products coming out from the Drama circles is the intensely intelligent people who are giving their 100 per cent to the drama producing industry at an extremely low prices and with almost no facilities just imagine if these people had proper resources or backing made available to them what miracles they would perform.

Drama production's success are due to incredible team work with almost nil resources and a few good men and women within this ever decreasing circle, and when you talk about few good men Numaan Ijaz's name comes to the top of the list.

Over the years you get to hear a lot about the pillars of the drama industry
some good. some bad but you never ever hear a negative word about Numaan Ijaz. This makes him sound like an angel and I had always been intrigued to meet him and get to know him a little and find out what really makes him tick. His name in a serial is almost a guarantee of success not only because of his astonishing good looks and graceful manner but his incredible performance in the front of the camera. Back in March 2001 I tried contacting him in Lahore while on holidays but I was told by his manager that he was in Karachi working on a new drama serial as a producer hence he will not be back until after I leave exciting climes of Lahore for the colder climes of London.

I returned to London disappointed not having met Numaan Ijaz and his "stunning indelible moustache" as one of his female fans in London puts it, But as the luck would have it I bumped into Numaan Ijaz at a charity function in London few months later where he was the chief guest to a press launch of " street children's charity" raising money for children whom are homeless around the world.

Many a young women and a few not so young ones were mobbing him trying to chat with him or get a picture taken with him or get his autograph and he was being very humble by giving into their demands I slowly shifted myself forward into this crowd of London's DesiBrits to get closer to him and hopefully a chance to get an interview with him before the main event would start but as I got his attention the organisers announced the opening of the function and he had to go to the stage and talk about homeless children and their plight and what could be done to help.Very impressive words of passion from an actor I thought, but than from what I had heard he speaks from his heart and does not mince words when it comes to highlighting the plight of the poor people including many a poorly paid actors in Pakistan being exploited by PTV and few other Production
companies up to the hilt.

After the event assault on him started again until after dinner was served and while others were busy accumulating few thousand calories I was able to corner Numaan Ijaz and talk to him freely for few minutes.

Naumaan was very gracious and courteous and suggested that we meet up another day and have a good chat we exchanged phone numbers and the event was coming to a close and we all packed up and left, this function was being held in the grounds to royal Kensington palace which is in the centre of London and traffic is usually terrible so I took a train there and as I was walking towards the station to get back home a car stopped, Numaan Ijaz was driving, he popped his head out and asked if I wanted a lift?
This was God's gift as it was a long walk to the station and it was drizzling I quickly accepted his offer and jumped into his car.

It was a good hours drive so we had ample time to talk and get to know each other ,moment Numaan found out I was from Lahore he opened up and instead of English our medium of conversation switched to Lahori Punjabi and Urdu it was so comforting to talk to another Lahori needless to say by the time I arrived home we had become friends already despite the fact that his phone did not stop ringing intermittently.

We agreed to meet in the next few days and said goodbyes and I thanked him for his generosity and couple of days later I rang the number he had given to me to contact him and the number would ring and ring but no answer after trying few times I assumed that he must have given me a duff number to get rid of me….and almost gave up until that evening I got a call back from him to apologise and not being able to ring me earlier as he had gone to Paris for a couple of days and had left his phone behind.

I was very impressed by his manners and his attention and we met a day later. And after that we met up few times and I had the pleasure to accompany Numaan Ijaz to some of the highlights of London's Asian circle.

Everywhere we went people readily got up to greet him and admired his work and his devotion it was humbling to see how he was very much a people's person and how patient and obliging he was to everyone.

While accompanying him to various events in London I had to stay under his shadow and I did not mind that a bit, it was the pleasure of his company, which charmed everyone and kept them seeking his attention all the time.

Numaan a qualified Lawyer from Lahore but never was able to practice but it has taught him to be compassionate and be vocal about his feelings.

Loads of questions were arising in my mind so I sat down one day with him, made him a Lahori cup of Tea in my house and talked to him on very many issues.

Shahid : why acting Numaan bhai ?
(I am proud to call him a bhai because you could not wish for a better friend and a brother)

Naumaan : I am not sure why and how it started but I was looking for ways to be peoples voice and politics was not appropriate medium as until few years ago it was totally corrupt.

So I thought I could reach more people through the media and raise their
plight to ease their suffering. As you know by now that when it comes to
my feelings about exploitation of people than I am not very diplomatic and
I do not hide my disgust at the way PTV and others exploit our talented
stars.

Shahid : I have seen you to lose your cool when you hear people exploiting others. Why your compassions run so high on this issue?

Naumaan : I have seen lots of suffering in my life and when it comes to speak up about this I do not care who is listening or whether I am politically correct or not, I do make my feelings known about these issues, I am generally very calm and collected and do not raise my voice and friends can get away with murder dealing with me ,but I would not let people lie on my face or exploit others without hearing from me.

Shahid : have you ever considered joining politics now as things have relatively improved.

Naumaan : yes I have thought about it but maybe I am not ready yet……

Shahid : how do you keep smiling all day along even when people are
pulling you in all directions and you still manage to please everyone?

Naumaan : My smile has got me into trouble few times, but this is a smile
which arises from my inner happiness and its not put on, and I believe if
Allah has given me talent and fame , its my duty to share my good life with
others to spread a little happiness.

Shahid : what sort of work have you undertaken in the past and what are you planning in the future?

Naumaan : I am proud to say that I have been involved with loads to projects but let me give you a quick run down for everyone's benefit.

1) FISHAR- first serial of my life. an eye opener for me

2) DASHT………..mile stone in the history of Pakistani drama where as the private sector is concerned Got recognition from this serial and was registered as a good actor.

3) NIJAAT
it was a project of JOHN Hopkins UNIVERSITY OF AMERICA, it was about family planning..

4) ILLZAM recently it's being telecast in EUROPE. Shot in BANGKOK.

5) YEH ZINDAGI It's a beautiful love story and basically about a man who
cant produce a child to cover his this medical weakness he divorces the
lady and after that again he tries to Reconcile the marriage according to
the Islamic laws by making her marry another Person and then taking the
divorce from him.

6) PAT JHAR Recently it was telecast here.

7) ANSOO
Was shot in SCOTLAND ,it was about a man who marries a GORI , and it does not work out so they decide for separation after two girls.

8) PEHLI BARISH was shot in GERMANY .played the role of a lawyer who
helps all ASIANS in Germany facing different problems.

9) DOORIAN it was the first private serial. in 1990

10) DASTAK AUR DARWAZA,My first production, based on a true story.

then there are many more like ...

ENDHAN,SAMANDER JAG RAHA HA (about Pakistan navy life),LAMHAY, BADALTEY CHAHRAY, RANJISH, KAHAN SEY KAHAN TAK, BANDAGI, PASSA-AINA, DARD KA RISHTA, And many more I performed in more than 50
serials in the last 12 years.

COMING SOON
1… IBNE ADAM (Its my own Production)
2… IK SAMANDER CHAHATON KA
3… WAFA KA MAUSAM
4… KHAYL and many more to come





		"One of the few good men" Pakistani drama serials are considered to be the best around the world and many of these serials have been translated in various languages of the world. There are very many reasons for these serials to be so successful and attract such a large and diverse audience around the world. There are a lot of very talented people and many of them are committed to their profession and they put in a lots of hard work this has not only given Pakistan such an incredible name in the world of entertainment but also has high lighted the strength of our entertainment industry. It's a real shame that Pakistani film industry cannot match the content, entertainment or the viewing satisfaction of public at large to the level of the drama serials standards. One of the main reasons for such high-class products coming out from the Drama circles is the intensely intelligent people who are giving their 100 per cent to the drama producing industry at an extremely low prices and with almost no facilities just imagine if these people had proper resources or backing made available to them what miracles they would perform. Drama production's success are due to incredible team work with almost nil resources and a few good men and women within this ever decreasing circle, and when you talk about few good men Numaan Ijaz's name comes to the top of the list. Over the years you get to hear a lot about the pillars of the drama industry some good. some bad but you never ever hear a negative word about Numaan Ijaz. This makes him sound like an angel and I had always been intrigued to meet him and get to know him a little and find out what really makes him tick. His name in a serial is almost a guarantee of success not only because of his astonishing good looks and graceful manner but his incredible performance in the front of the camera. Back in March 2001 I tried contacting him in Lahore while on holidays but I was told by his manager that he was in Karachi working on a new drama serial as a producer hence he will not be back until after I leave exciting climes of Lahore for the colder climes of London. I returned to London disappointed not having met Numaan Ijaz and his "stunning indelible moustache" as one of his female fans in London puts it, But as the luck would have it I bumped into Numaan Ijaz at a charity function in London few months later where he was the chief guest to a press launch of " street children's charity" raising money for children whom are homeless around the world. Many a young women and a few not so young ones were mobbing him trying to chat with him or get a picture taken with him or get his autograph and he was being very humble by giving into their demands I slowly shifted myself forward into this crowd of London's DesiBrits to get closer to him and hopefully a chance to get an interview with him before the main event would start but as I got his attention the organisers announced the opening of the function and he had to go to the stage and talk about homeless children and their plight and what could be done to help.Very impressive words of passion from an actor I thought, but than from what I had heard he speaks from his heart and does not mince words when it comes to highlighting the plight of the poor people including many a poorly paid actors in Pakistan being exploited by PTV and few other Production companies up to the hilt. After the event assault on him started again until after dinner was served and while others were busy accumulating few thousand calories I was able to corner Numaan Ijaz and talk to him freely for few minutes. Naumaan was very gracious and courteous and suggested that we meet up another day and have a good chat we exchanged phone numbers and the event was coming to a close and we all packed up and left, this function was being held in the grounds to royal Kensington palace which is in the centre of London and traffic is usually terrible so I took a train there and as I was walking towards the station to get back home a car stopped, Numaan Ijaz was driving, he popped his head out and asked if I wanted a lift? This was God's gift as it was a long walk to the station and it was drizzling I quickly accepted his offer and jumped into his car. It was a good hours drive so we had ample time to talk and get to know each other ,moment Numaan found out I was from Lahore he opened up and instead of English our medium of conversation switched to Lahori Punjabi and Urdu it was so comforting to talk to another Lahori needless to say by the time I arrived home we had become friends already despite the fact that his phone did not stop ringing intermittently. We agreed to meet in the next few days and said goodbyes and I thanked him for his generosity and couple of days later I rang the number he had given to me to contact him and the number would ring and ring but no answer after trying few times I assumed that he must have given me a duff number to get rid of me….and almost gave up until that evening I got a call back from him to apologise and not being able to ring me earlier as he had gone to Paris for a couple of days and had left his phone behind. I was very impressed by his manners and his attention and we met a day later. And after that we met up few times and I had the pleasure to accompany Numaan Ijaz to some of the highlights of London's Asian circle. Everywhere we went people readily got up to greet him and admired his work and his devotion it was humbling to see how he was very much a people's person and how patient and obliging he was to everyone. While accompanying him to various events in London I had to stay under his shadow and I did not mind that a bit, it was the pleasure of his company, which charmed everyone and kept them seeking his attention all the time. Numaan a qualified Lawyer from Lahore but never was able to practice but it has taught him to be compassionate and be vocal about his feelings. Loads of questions were arising in my mind so I sat down one day with him, made him a Lahori cup of Tea in my house and talked to him on very many issues. *Shahid* : why acting Numaan bhai ? (I am proud to call him a bhai because you could not wish for a better friend and a brother) *Naumaan* : I am not sure why and how it started but I was looking for ways to be peoples voice and politics was not appropriate medium as until few years ago it was totally corrupt. So I thought I could reach more people through the media and raise their plight to ease their suffering. As you know by now that when it comes to my feelings about exploitation of people than I am not very diplomatic and I do not hide my disgust at the way PTV and others exploit our talented stars. *Shahid* : I have seen you to lose your cool when you hear people exploiting others. Why your compassions run so high on this issue? *Naumaan* : I have seen lots of suffering in my life and when it comes to speak up about this I do not care who is listening or whether I am politically correct or not, I do make my feelings known about these issues, I am generally very calm and collected and do not raise my voice and friends can get away with murder dealing with me ,but I would not let people lie on my face or exploit others without hearing from me. *Shahid* : have you ever considered joining politics now as things have relatively improved. *Naumaan* : yes I have thought about it but maybe I am not ready yet…… Shahid : how do you keep smiling all day along even when people are pulling you in all directions and you still manage to please everyone? *Naumaan* : My smile has got me into trouble few times, but this is a smile which arises from my inner happiness and its not put on, and I believe if Allah has given me talent and fame , its my duty to share my good life with others to spread a little happiness. *Shahid* : what sort of work have you undertaken in the past and what are you planning in the future? *Naumaan* : I am proud to say that I have been involved with loads to projects but let me give you a quick run down for everyone's benefit. 1) FISHAR- first serial of my life. an eye opener for me 2) DASHT………..mile stone in the history of Pakistani drama where as the private sector is concerned Got recognition from this serial and was registered as a good actor. 3) NIJAAT it was a project of JOHN Hopkins UNIVERSITY OF AMERICA, it was about family planning.. 4) ILLZAM recently it's being telecast in EUROPE. Shot in BANGKOK. 5) YEH ZINDAGI It's a beautiful love story and basically about a man who cant produce a child to cover his this medical weakness he divorces the lady and after that again he tries to Reconcile the marriage according to the Islamic laws by making her marry another Person and then taking the divorce from him. 6) PAT JHAR Recently it was telecast here. 7) ANSOO Was shot in SCOTLAND ,it was about a man who marries a GORI , and it does not work out so they decide for separation after two girls. 8) PEHLI BARISH was shot in GERMANY .played the role of a lawyer who helps all ASIANS in Germany facing different problems. 9) DOORIAN it was the first private serial. in 1990 10) DASTAK AUR DARWAZA,My first production, based on a true story. then there are many more like ... ENDHAN,SAMANDER JAG RAHA HA (about Pakistan navy life),LAMHAY, BADALTEY CHAHRAY, RANJISH, KAHAN SEY KAHAN TAK, BANDAGI, PASSA-AINA, DARD KA RISHTA, And many more I performed in more than 50 serials in the last 12 years. COMING SOON 1… IBNE ADAM (Its my own Production) 2… IK SAMANDER CHAHATON KA 3… WAFA KA MAUSAM 4… KHAYL and many more to come