“I am often asked to name my favourite role, but my answer is always the same,” says Saleem Mairaj. “The most important character for me is the one I’ve just signed on to play.”
Mairaj began his career as a theatre actor before transitioning into television and film with such ease that challenging roles began coming his way early on. Whether commanding the stage or electrifying the screen in a gritty digital series, Mairaj’s journey proves the enduring power of pure craft. In a world obsessed with fleeting fame, he remains rooted, vanishing so completely into his roles that audiences forget they are watching an actor at all.
As we sit down for a chat at a photo studio just a short distance from where Mairaj is filming for an untitled TV serial that day in DHA, Karachi, the air is thick with the promise of a long and insightful conversation.
The red brick-panelled interior lends the room we are in a warm, intimate vibe. A plush black leather sofa occupies one corner, while a massive mirror on the opposite wall catches Mairaj’s attention as he pauses briefly to check his appearance before walking over and settling into the sofa comfortably.
Once settled in, the conversation naturally warms up over steaming cups of karrak doodh patti [strong milky tea] and samosas served to us by an office boy.
