Syed Masood’s debut novel More Than Just a Pretty Face finds new life in the voice of young recording artist Ariyan Kassam.
Kassam narrates the audiobook, telling the story of a good-looking and confident Pakistani American youth, Danyal. He continues to narrate the young man’s ambitions of being a great chef and winning his school’s “Renaissance Man” competition.
Kassam’s rendition of Masood’s novel is the voice artist’s first commissioned work in audiobooks, but seemingly not his last. The Secret Keeper of Jaipur by New York Times best-selling author Alka Joshi will debut in summer 2021. After this, Kassam will join Sneha Mathan and Deepa Samuel to narrate the audiobook.
Ariyan Kassam seeks varied creative outlets
The Indian English artist’s budding career rests on a passion for storytelling and performance. He found this passion early in life. Kassam tells VoyageLA, “I would say I dabble in almost everything, from film and TV, voice over, Shakespeare, contemporary and experimental theatre as well as physical theatre.”
“I tend to exploit all the platforms for storytelling and see how they may differ. I like to think I have a fearlessness in that sense – where I can put myself in absurd or challenging scenarios and try to gain something from it.”
Kassam earned his BFA in Acting at the California Institute of the Arts. While studying there, he took part in a show called The Hendrix Project, directed by Roger Guenveur Smith. He also performed at The Under the Radar Festival in New York. Upon graduation, and following a number of gigs, including productions for Netflix and Disney, Kassam was asked to join a troupe at the Grotowski Institute in Poland.
When commenting on such collaborative episodes, Kassam acknowledges how interacting with artists from all over the world has helped him learn and grow: “We are the sources of creativity and knowledge for one another.” More recently, Kassam has worked in the Japanese anime series Great Pretender. He voices the character Clark in the English version on Netflix.
Fusion of different cultures sets Ariyan Kassam up for success
Looking back at his story and how he started his career, Kassam gives credit to his family. “It has a lot to do with why I’m here and what I do.”
His family came originally from the Bukhara region in Central Asia. However, they have lived in many corners of the world, including Zanzibar, Kenya and Uganda. His parents later moved to London, where Ariyan was born, and then back to Nairobi, where he spend most of his formative years.
Then came South Africa, “where I matured, and found my love for acting and performing through my exposure to the Zulu oral tradition of storytelling.” When Kassam realized that acting and performative arts were what he wanted to pursue in life, he sought the support of his family. “The talk was difficult,” he remembers. “But after seeing my talent and passion for the craft they graciously allowed me to go train at a Conservatory.”
“But no matter what the passion is, Brown parents need that degree,” he joked. So Kassam completed a course at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art in London, and then, seeking a “new experience” and “a change in environment, technique,” he went to California to attend CalArts.
“Parents were happy,” and so was Kassam. He set out to challenge himself with experimental playwrights and directors, and got ready to share stories with the world.
Ariyan Kassam has stories to share
In Masood’s More Than Just a Pretty Face, Kassam tells the story of a 19-year-old Pakistani American youngster, similar to himself in some ways. The protagonist of Masood’s work shares a similar family and social background. The young man then grows into a more mature young adult by educating himself about different parts of the world.
Kassam is eager to keep telling stories, especially stories of people that resemble him: “Specifically, the stories of my family members, breaking boundaries into new lands, not speaking the language and showing up.” Stories, “just like humans, need to travel and be shared” he says. “My duty is now to be a representative of them.”
Read more about More Than Just A Pretty Face:
Interview: “The Bad Muslim Discount” by Syed Masood, available today
Listen to More Than Just a Pretty Face here.
