It wouldn’t be entirely wrong to state that the bumbling Pepe (Parvez) anchored the storyline of Pakistan’s highest-grossing film, Jawani Phir Nahin Ani (JPNA). It seems the actor essaying the role, Ahmad Ali Butt, and his impeccable comic timing have come a long way since his initial sitcom stints in Rubber Band, Inspector Khoji and Jutt and Bond.
Following JPNA’s resounding box office run, our very own Zach Galifianakis now has at least seven film offers knocking on his door. The musician-turned-actor who is currently in the UK weighing two such projects, said should the deals go through, one of the roles will be in an international movie.
Hearsay suggested Butt has agreed to step in the audio booth for a voiceover in the upcoming 3 Bahadur sequel. Putting the rumour mills to rest, the actor testified what humour writer Mushtaq Ahmed Yousufi once wrote, “The problem with rumours in Pakistan is that most of the time they turn out to be true.”This is not the first time that Butt is trying his luck with voiceovers since he has ample experience narrating Unicef documentaries.
Having already proven his mettle as an actor, a musician and a rapper, Butt is keen on establishing himself as a humour writer and performer both. He has already begun drafting the script for another comedy film that he and his close friend and collaborator Vasay Chaudhry intend to produce by the end of 2016. Butt said the reason he wants to continue with comedy is that the industry lacks in terms of quality comedians. “The last leading figures in comedy to emerge were Umar Sharif and Moin Akhtar. I wish to build up on their legacy.”
About the upcoming movie he said, “It’s going to be a different sort of comedy altogether and will be quite dissimilar to what audiences saw inJPNA.”
Still basking in the success of his debut film, Butt stated he has not been able to come to terms with the kind of response JPNA received. “Obviously we were confident about the film but… this is huge,” he said. Butt added the dust storm of controversies that had surrounded the project well before release had dimmed their hopes a little but the end result was a convincing surprise.