KARACHI: Pakistani actor Yasir Hussain has returned to his theater roots with 鈥淢onkey Business,鈥� a farcical comedy currently drawing crowds to the Arts Council of Pakistan in Karachi, though he says it remains nearly impossible for artists to survive on theater alone in the country.
The actor, who rose to prominence through iconic roles in Anwar Maqsood鈥檚 plays before moving into television and film, is now back on stage after years. His return comes at a time when Pakistan鈥檚 theater scene continues to struggle with limited commercial viability, high production costs and little state support.
鈥淚 don鈥檛 think an artist should solely rely on theater [in Pakistan]. They should do TV and film too,鈥� Hussain told Arab News on Tuesday.
鈥淓ven today if I am offered a project like 鈥楤adshah Begum,鈥� 鈥楤aandi,鈥� 鈥楯hooti鈥� or 鈥楢ik Thi Laila,鈥� which were all great scripts, I鈥檇 still do it,鈥� he added, naming some of the television productions.
Hussain stars as Wasim in Monkey Business, a satire about aspiring actors who get involved in phishing scams. The play opened on April 5 and runs through April 21 in Karachi, before heading to Lahore and Islamabad.

鈥淗e is a fraud,鈥� he said while describing his character in the play. 鈥淚t鈥檚 all about actors, new actors and they are into some kind of phishing business. It鈥檚 a farce comedy.鈥�

Known for his early work in Anwar Maqsood鈥檚 鈥淧awnay 14 August鈥� and 鈥淗alf Playt,鈥� Hussain transitioned to television and film over the past decade, also producing and directing for screen.
His latest TV drama 鈥淧aradise,鈥� which he produced under his banner LO IQ Films, premiered earlier this week, starring Iqra Aziz, his wife, and Shuja Asad.
鈥淚 really want to pitch good scripts to my wife,鈥� he said, adding: 鈥淚n Paradise, if you see the first episode, you鈥檒l see that it鈥檚 a custom-made character for Iqra.鈥�
Hussain and Aziz, a renowned actress in her own right, previously appeared together in Jhooti and later in the mini-series Aik Thi Laila. But Hussain said he avoids working opposite her in lead roles post-marriage.
鈥淢arriage is a very personal thing and I don鈥檛 want to show that chemistry onscreen in a TV drama at least,鈥� he explained. 鈥淚 don鈥檛 want her screen age to increase for no reason because of me. And I don鈥檛 want to share the small screen with her just because she is a famous actress. I have no interest in appearing in dramas nor sharing the small screen with my wife.鈥�

Though he鈥檚 focused on stage shows and direction at the moment, Hussain doubts theater can thrive in Pakistan without institutional support.
鈥淗ow will theater in Pakistan rise? This place where we are performing theater, the rent is 1.5 to 2 lakhs rupees [$357 to $713] in addition to lights, sounds and other expenses. Theater [setup] for a day costs a lot, equal to the amount it generates,鈥� he said.
鈥淯nless the government plays a part in [promoting] theater or film, no one can do it. It cannot flourish.鈥�
Hussain also drew a distinction between commercial theater like Monkey Business and the work staged at institutions like the National Academy of Performing Arts (NAPA).
鈥淚t鈥檚 good for NAPA but it鈥檚 not commercially viable,鈥� he said. 鈥淭here is no hype around the city for such kind of theater.鈥�
Asked about his future plans, Hussain said he wanted to venture into film production under LO IQ Films.
鈥淚 am enjoying production. LO IQ Films is producing theater as well as TV so now I want to produce films,鈥� he said.