Adnan Siddiqui has become television's leading man without conveying the impression that he takes this mantle seriously. But whether he likes to admit it or not, he has had a huge impact on local television.
With a Hollywood movie under his belt, Adnan is one of the most bankable actors of the television industry, today.
His journey started with his first play "Aroosa" opposite Mishi Khan, which became hugely popular, resulting in him getting many offers, including roles in movies. Among them was a Sajjad Gul banner,"Siyasat, Rishwat aur Mehangai", a very ambitious project, with the late Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan Sahib giving music for a film for the first time in his career, and Madam Noor Jehan and Mohammed Ali Sahib making a comeback into films. It was to be directed by Nazar-ul-Islam and the screenplay was to be written by Asghar Nadeem Syed, who was riding high on the popularity of "Chand Grehan".
As an actor just starting out, it was an excellent opportunity to launch himself in a big way, but Adnan had reservations about the project from the very beginning.
At the time, Adnan was working at Lintas Advertising and was confused as to what he wanted to do with his life: whether acting was his true calling or the world of advertising. He also had issues with changing his name, as he was asked to go by the name of Shehryar, the name of the character he played in "Aroosa" After giving the opening shot, Adnan ran away from the set, earning the nickname "Bhagura" in Lollywood. Even now whenever he visits the Lahore film industry, everyone says, "Yeh bhagora aa gya" The film was then canned and later produced under another name and with another director and writer.
