Ali Junijo is a Pakistani actor and writer. In 2022, he came into the spotlight for starring in the Cannes award-winning Hollywood film “Joyland”, in which he played the role of Haider.
Wiki/Biography
There is not much information available about Ali Junejo’s educational background.
appearance
Height (approximately): 5′ 5″
Hair color: black
Eye color: black
Ali Junejo with the cast of the Pakistani film Joyland; Image from the 75th Cannes Film Festival
family
Ali Junejo was born into a Muslim family in Karachi.
wife
Ali Juniorjo is unmarried.
Profession
theater
Initially, Ali Juniorjo started his career as a theater artist. According to Ali, he got his first break on a murder mystery drama and subsequently decided to continue his career as a theater artist. In an interview with the media, Ali Junicho talked about his career as a theater artist and said:
I’ve been doing theater for a long time. I auditioned for a play; it was like a murder mystery and I was hooked. I spent some time abroad and then came back in 2012, and then I continued doing theater. I write, direct and act, and have worked with NAPA a lot. ”
He has worked on several theater productions such as Samuel Beckett’s acclaimed play Waiting for Godot (2013), Sunil Shankar’s play Dead End (2019) and Horse ( 2017). He also worked at the National Academy of Performing Arts, Karachi, Sindh, Pakistan. In an interview, he said of his play Waiting for Godot:
The stuff I did before involved a lot of individual effort because my co-director and I used to do everything. This time, however, I was completely at the mercy of Zia Sahab himself.Zia Sahab’s training and experience as a director has only made me more confident [in the faithful adaptation of this play].He knows a lot about the background [of the play] Having a very clear picture in mind, but also giving us space to introduce our own style. As long as you know what you’re doing, he won’t be suffocating. ”
Amid Rez as Poirot (centre) and Faris Khalid as Estragon (left) in Samuel Beckett’s classic play directed by Napazia Mohideen, Ali Junior as Vladimir (right).
Hollywood movie
Ali Junejo made his film debut in the award-winning Pakistani film Joyland opposite Alina Khan and Rasti Farooq. Played the role of Haider in the film. In an interview, Ali Junejo talked about how he landed the role of Haider in the Lollywood film Joyland and said:
This is quite difficult. I auditioned and I was the last one to audition, so maybe that’s why I got it, because they were short-staffed (laughs). I read the script, so my curiosity was driving me crazy. When I spoke with Sayim, I realized that he was willing to discuss and debate the intentions of his characters. The challenge is that nothing in Haider’s life is black and white, so I realize it’s a lot of work, and I love it. “
Ali Junejo as Haider and Alina Khan as Beba in a still from Lollywood movie Joyland (2022)
prize
In 2022, Ari Junicjo won the Special Mention Award at the 46th Sopaul International Film Festival.
Joyland director Saim Sadiq’s Instagram story about Ali Junejo receiving the Special Mention Award at the 46th Sopaul International Film Festival
Facts/Trivia
- Ali Junijo’s first Hollywood film, “Happyland” became the first Pakistani film to be screened at the Cannes Film Festival. The Lollywood film also received a standing ovation after being screened at the 75th Cannes Film Festival and won the Cannes Queer Palm Award for Best LGBT, “queer” or feminist-themed film.
Lollywood film “Joyland” (2022) received a standing ovation from the audience at the 75th Cannes Film Festival
- Initially, Ali Junijo’s critically acclaimed Pakistani film Joyland (2022) was banned by the Pakistani government on the grounds that the film contained “highly objectionable content.” Pakistan’s Ministry of Information and Broadcasting spoke about the film in an interview and said:
We received a written complaint that the film contained extremely objectionable content, was inconsistent with the values and moral standards of Hong Kong society, and clearly violated the standards of “decency and morals” stipulated in Section 9 of the Films Ordinance, 1979 Year. “
However, on November 16, 2022, the Pakistani authorities decided to lift the ban after receiving severe backlash for their decision to ban the film “Happyland”. Salman Sufi, aide to Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, informed in a tweet the government’s decision to lift the ban on the film “Joyland”. He tweeted,
Film #Joyland has been approved for release by the Censor Board [Prime Minister Sharif]. Freedom of speech is a fundamental right and should be upheld within the confines of the law. ”
- In an interview, Pakistani director Saeem Sadiq talked about his film “Happyland” and shared how he chose Ali to play the role of Haider in the film. He said,
For the role of Haider, we conducted a casting process and auditioned nearly 600 actors. too crazy! I didn’t go to all 600 auditions, but my casting director did. And none of us like it. Some actors said they couldn’t play the role. I knew I needed a brave actor. I almost gave up, we wouldn’t have made the film if we hadn’t found the right lead. Ali walked into my living room and ten minutes later I decided to cast him. Even before he read the script, there was something about him that I liked. He made this film possible in many ways. “
- Ali Junejo does not use any social media platform. According to Pakistani director Saeem Sadiq, the only place where Ali existed was on the stage (theatre). Saim Sadiq talked about this in an interview and said:
I almost gave up, we wouldn’t have made the film if we hadn’t found the right lead. But then someone suggested I go see this theater actor with no Instagram, no social media. He doesn’t exist except on stage.
Categories: Biography
Source: HIS Education