The Director Psyche: Waseem Sabir !

“I read faces. If I sit with a person for about half n hour , I can tell pretty much about that person  and 85% of it comes true.”~ Waseem Sabir

He is a well known name who has made a mark in the Television Industry. Starting with shows like Saara Akaash, Kusuum, Hum Do Hai na, Waseem rose the ladder of success slow and steady. He worked in production and eventually moved to direction. As a Director he has set up Maryada Lekin Kab Tak on StarPlus which is hitting the popularity charts for its bold concept. In the recent past he has also set up Imagine TV’s show Dharampatni.

Rangmunch.TV brings to you the PSYCHE of this Director!

On a scale of 5 (1 being lowest and 5 being highest) how many marks would you give to the following?

·         Importance of story: 5

·         Importance of screenplay: 5

·         Importance of music: 4         

·         Importance of a good assistant: 5

·         Importance of good-looking actors: 3

    In the options given below which one of the following inspires you the most. Starting from 5 – 1 (5 being highest and 1 being lowest) mark them in the order of priority.

·         A book – 3

·         A movie  – 4

·         Another show – 2

·         A real life experience – 5

·         A rival doing better than you – 1

    
     If your day at work has been really crappy, you would:

·      Show it on family and friends

·      Go take a walk

·      Bitch out hard to a friend till your mouth hurts and heart eases

·      Ignore it as a part and parcel of your job routine.

If you found out two of the actors on your show have become a real life couple you would:

 
 

·      Confront them and tell them you will not tolerate this on your set.

·      Congratulate them and incorporate more of their scenes in the 
       show.

·      Be indifferent to them as they are not concerned with your life.

·      Treat them differently on the set, treat them differently outside.

     
     In case of a conflict in vision with your writer, you would:

·       Talk to him/her and explain it is visually not possible.

·       Ignore what is written, take a call, shoot, and then let the writer   
       know.

·       Ignore your vision and shoot what is present in the script      
       as long as the episode goes on air.

·       Try to balance out between what is written and what can   
       be presented in order to not wreck your personal equation with the
       said person.

      An actor is repeatedly performing badly and has been receiving  

      negative feedback. As a Director, you would:
 

·    Take him out on a friendly informal dinner and explain stuff to him/her.

·    Yell at him, since you are tired of repeatedly telling him/her.

·    Ask his closest friend on the set, to talk to him/her and explain stuff

·    Give him/her as little screen space as possible to cover up the flaws.

     Your close buddy in the same profession as you has won an award that

     you sincerely believed you deserved. You would: 
 

·     Congratulate him/her first and hope to win the next year.

·     Take your time to come to terms with it and then give her/him a call 
     to wish them.

·     Ignore the person totally till the time; you have the award in your 
     hand next year.

·     Totally give up on the concept of rewards and Awards as a benchmark for performance.

 

     One fine day you realize that you are no longer interested in your current project for whatever reason, you would:   
 

·     Prepare to pack your bags and move on to the next project that catches your attention. 

·    Introspect, find out the reason for your lack of interest, and go about correcting them.

·    Ignore the feeling and go about your work as best as you can. After all, you are being paid for it.

·   Continue the project and let everyone on the sets bear the brunt of it.

 

      
         60 seconds with Waseem Sabir!  

            Work: Passion
            God: Everything
            Destiny: Whatever it is
            Family: First Priority
            Romance: Yet to figure out
            Marriage: Will happen
            Friends: Life
            Television: Work
            Success: Important
            Fans: Happy to have them
            Chemistry: Is my forte
            Life: Is beautiful
            Colours: Blue
            Politics: Hate it
            Action: Not much

    

    Hope you all had a great time reading this amazing and insightful interview.

 

    Interviewed by:

    Swati Ghosh

    Niharika Vidya Sagar