Usman Mukhtar, an actor turned director, has earned recognition for his short film Gulabo Rani at the Bucharest Shortcut Cinefest. He credits the success to the film’s young actor, Usama Javaid Haider, whom he had first met years ago during a shoot in Lahore.
On Wednesday, while announcing that Haider had won the Best Actor award for his role in Mukhtar’s horror film, the Anaa actor also spoke about how the young actor’s work ethic, passion, and commitment had helped him achieve success.
“I’m super proud of this kid. I honestly feel that I’m fortunate to have come across him. I met him at a shoot in Lahore where we had a scene together. I had to sit and react when this kid had a nine-minute monologue. By the time the monologue ended, I was blown away by his performance. He is a brilliant actor and a hardworking one,” he wrote
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During post-production for Gulabo Rani, Mukhtar found himself in need of a dubbing voice and thought of Haider. That day proved to be a turning point for the young actor. According to Mukhtar, “We were doing post-production for Gulabo, and Usama had some dubbing work left. I asked him if he could come in for the dubbing session, and he came without any hesitation. When he reached the studio, I noticed that he had lost weight and had shaved his head. When I asked him why he had done so, he tried to play it down. That’s when he revealed that his cancer had returned and he had to shave his head for his chemo treatment. I was shocked and asked him why he hadn’t told me earlier so we could have rescheduled the session. But he simply replied, ‘Usman bhai, work is work.'”
In his congratulatory message, Mukhtar expressed his admiration for the actor, referring to him as a “superstar” and praising his talent and work ethic. “I have no words to describe what a gem this kid is and how much I’ve learned from him in the process,” he wrote. He went on to announce that Haider had won the Best Actor award at Bucharest Shortcut Cinefest and was now an international award-winning Pakistani actor. He also expressed his pride in Haider’s journey.
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Earlier this year, Mukhtar’s short film also won the Best Short Film Award at the LA Sci-Fi & Horror Festival 2022, and he shared the news on social media. He posted a photo of his award, which was labelled “Leviathan Platinum Award 2022,” and wrote a heartfelt caption about his feelings on the achievement.
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