Sitting in the audience at a Karachi theatre in 2007, he watched in awe as his father, acclaimed Pakistani actor Rahat Kazmi, took to the stage. The play was an Urdu adaptation of Anton Chekhov’s “Uncle Vanya” and Rahat portrayed Astrov, the forward-thinking environmentalist and country doctor.
When he was seven, Kazmi played a younger version of his father’s character in a TV series directed by his mother. It was while filming that show that Kazmi knew he wanted to pursue acting. Yet, Kazmi wanted to be judged based on his own merits and artistic abilities. That was one of the reasons why he immigrated to Canada. The other big factor: love.
The pair remained friends throughout high school. When Khorasanee moved to Montreal to attend McGill University, they began to chat online and started a long-distance relationship. In 2001, he wanted to join Khorasanee in Canada, and applied to various schools in Montreal and Toronto.“All my acceptances turned to rejections,” he said. “I was a single, Pakistani, Muslim man. That’s what kept me away from my dreams for six years and kept me away from the woman I loved.