Talha Chahour is making waves in the television industry after his breakthrough performance in the drama serial Jo Bichar Gaye. However, this was not his debut performance and he has already worked in drama serials Jaan e Nisar and Faraz of PTV and Aplus. A young ambitious actor, who is down to earth and has a zeal to succeed yet, not forgetting his roots – can be a few words that I can lend to describe Talha, but these are assuredly not enough to encapsulate his whole persona.
As a graduate of Government College, Lahore, and a stage performer for four years, Talha has already taken on multiple challenges on many professional platforms & now, plans to prove his mantle in the entertainment industry.
To my absolute pleasure, I got a chance to have a conversation with him about Jo Bichar Gaye and about life in general.
In the first sentence, I could not help but bring up Jo Bichar Gaye. After all, how could I not? For the past 10 weeks, Captain Farukkh is living in our hearts and taking us with him on a journey back in time!
Last night’s episode (episode 10) was very heartbreaking and very saddening. I have this huge problem that I cannot watch my work. However, Jo Bichar Gaye is an exception. It has been filmed in such a way that it is a must-watch! I don’t watch it as Captain Farukkh – though when I watch the play I find so many places of improvement and often criticize myself the way I performed a certain scene -but I watch it to appreciate the craft.
Talha Chahour
And just like that, my conversation with Talha began in a perfectly natural course. He didn’t shy away from giving credit to the people in his life including his family, co-actors, and above all, thanking Allah for where he is today. At times he was too humble and way too generous with the compliments he gave to other people who helped him with his craft and I was completely blown away to see such humility reflecting in an individual who is reaping huge successes.
Early Life, Art and Acting
Born in Rahim Yar Khan, Talha moved to Lahore to pursue higher education at the Government College at the age of 15. After getting his degree, he went back to his home town. He described the feeling as having hit rock bottom but thanks to his parents he got back on his feet.
I felt really low during that point of time in my life but my parents were my biggest supporters. They said that if you want you can go abroad to pursue further education, or if you would like we can help you start a business here. Do whatever makes you happy.
Talha Chahour
He further explained that his parents are the reason why he is where he is today and he hopes to continue making them proud. Talha is also grateful to his siblings and his sister-in-law for always giving a helping hand whenever he needed it.
However, his heart lay in acting. He joined Ajoka theater and performed as a stage actor for four years to polish his craft. He also took workshops from Chandigarh, Washington, Denmark, and Pakistan. Talha believed in learning from wherever he got a chance to do so.
Talking about his love for poetry, Talha said that Munir Niazi, Faiz Ahmad Faiz, Jaun Elia, and Javed Akhtar are among his favorite poets. He believes that poetry and literature are closely linked:
Poetry, literature, and acting are three dimensions of art, and when you connect these three things, a new form of art diverges that is unique. Art and poetry give you the freedom to teleport to a different world that one cannot reach in reality.
Talha Chahour
He recited a verse from one of his favourite poems by Jaun Elia:
Mujhse Milne Ko Aap Aaye Hain, Bethiye Main Bula Kar Laata Hun
Jaun Elia
He passionately explained the meaning of the verse and when I didn’t fully grasp it, he didn’t hesitate for a second to explain it again. He described the meaning articulately, saying that the poet is adopting a sarcastic tone, taunting a person for whom he gave up everything, and yet that person was not there for him and came only when he had lost everything, including his individuality.
His Take On Theatre And Stage Performance
Talha has many plays under his belt during his four years in theater. He has been part of many renowned plays such as Macbeth, Bulleh Shah, Dara, Lo Phir Basant Aayi, Manto, and Bhagat Singh, to name a few. It is safe to say that his years as a theatre performer have paid off and his hardwork and experience reflect on the screen.
He says that his experience with stage acting has really aided in polishing his craft. However, he does wish that theatre actors should be given more recognition in Pakistan.
Working with both the mediums i.e television and theatre, he has enough expertise to make a distinction between the two.
Theatre is loud while television is subtle. Theater enables you to perform in front of a live audience while television provides a larger audience, especially an international one to view your content. Before doing a crossover between the two one should understand how both are different.
Talha Chahour
He says that while he really enjoyed working on stage, he would for know take a break from it and focus primarily on television.
Jo Bichar Gaye
Backstory of how he landed the role of Captain Farrukh
Upon asking how he landed the role of Captain Farrukh, he replied:
“I got a call from Sohaib Idrees and was told that there is a very good role of a Captain. After I gave my auditions I didn’t get a call back for a month. I also got busy and didn’t think much about the role as I believe that you will get what you are destined for. I got selected for the role of a captain who was not captain Farrukh. I practiced for the role for 20 days and was part of all the drills. We even shot for 4 days but after that Haissam Hussain offered me the role of Captain Farrukh for which I prepared overnight.
Talha Chahour
How he prepared for the role of Captain Farrukh?
Talha explained that since he has experience in theatre, he didn’t have a hard time preparing for the role of Captain Farrukh. He took cues from the director, Haissam Hussain, who he calls his ‘godfather’.
He also explained that he got the opportunity to meet Captain Farrukh, now retired Colonel Farrukh and he fully made use of this opportunity and completely characterized his character based on how Colonel Farrukh would walk, talk and sit.
Talha tried to be in his character till the end of the shoot. He would even wear 1970s clothes in public as he was shooting for Jo Bichar Gaye. We can say with certainty that your efforts have definitely paid off!
He also explained how hard it was for him to depict this role:
Sometimes I would start crying. I completely dived into the character of Farrukh and felt that I was living that life. Mulk ja raha hai, muhabbat mili gi ki nehi, dost shaheed horahe hain (the country is being divided, there is uncertainty whether I will get the love of my life or not, my friends are getting martyred).
Talha Chahour
On the sets of Jo Bichar Gaye and his co-stars:
Talha was appreciative of all his co-stars. He said that Maya Ali and Wahaj Ali were very supportive. In the end, it is the team effort that shows:
It’s all about action-reaction and when actors work together the end result turns out to be great.
Talha Chahour
He revealed that mostly the atmosphere on set was very serious because Haissam Hussain is very dedicated to his craft. However, they would take out some time to have fun on the set.
Switching To A Lighter Tone
The air was getting heavy talking about Captain Farrukh and 1971 so I decided to switch to a lighter tone. Find out what was happening behind the sets!
When I gave him a hypothetical situation where if he had to play a game with Wahaj and Maya, which game would it be? He answered that it would certainly be Ludo and that he would be the sore loser (we believe that it was only a diplomatic answer!) and Maya Ali would be the most competitive one!
His Reaction To All The Love He Has Been Receiving
Talha expressed his gratitude to all his fans for putting in so much effort in making all the videos, reviewing each episode, and just giving so much love overall. He praised viewers by saying that they have a very keen observation.
For him, the biggest acknowledgment he has received is from Colonel Farrukh himself and his family.
I would get calls from his (Colonel Farrukh) sisters and children and also his son Hassan saying that you are the younger version of Farrukh and look just like him. I was very cautious about whether Colonel Farrukh liked my work or not. I would ask his son, Hassan every time I used to talk to him that did Colonel like my performance. His response has always been affirmative, makes me very happy.
Talha Chahour
His Mantra For Life And Message For His Fans
My philosophy of life is to put your complete trust in Allah, respect your parents and thrive hard to make them proud, and lastly work as hard as you can. And this is also the message I want to give to my fans“
Talha Chahour
His advice for all the aspiring actors:
My advice for all aspiring actors is that first analyze all your options and see if you really want to become an actor. Then, if you think that acting is the right job for you then work hard and abide by my philosophy of life (mentioned above).
Talha Chahour
Plans For Future
Talha says that since childhood, he wanted to do something impactful and wanted to have a purpose in life. He doesn’t want to die without leaving a legacy. He hopes to bring a change in society and revealed that this is his motivation to succeed which is growing with time.
I want to do projects that leave an impact and will continue to do roles that are meaningful.
Talha Chahour
In the end, I have only one thing to say, Talha is not only an excellent performer but he puts his heart into his work and I wish him luck for all his future ventures!
