Abdulhameed al-Siddiqi, aka Hameed on social media, is a graduate in chemical engineering from Texas A&M at Qatar (TAMUQ). He has been working in the Petrochemical industry — Qatar Chemical Company (Q-Chem) — as operation specialist, in the production department, for the past seven years.



PATRIOTIC SPIRIT: A still from a role enacted for the National Day.

Currently, Hameed is pursuing an Executive Masters Program in Energy & Resources at HBKU at the Qatar Foundation which he is scheduled to complete in 2017.
You are a person with varied interests, tell us about a few.



MANY OF MANY TALENTS: Abdulhameed al-Siddiqi.

As a graduate student at TAMUQ, we had to take at least two sports activities as a mandatory part of our course, so I chose self defence and target archery. This gave me great opportunities to pick up skills in target archery and I soon found myself winning the first place at the University competition. Unfortunately, I’ve not been able to pursue this interest as much as I would like, due to various other commitments. Meanwhile, my interests moved to social media — a popular attraction these days; this, in turn, has propelled other interests of mine, namely photography and modelling.



FUTURE FILM STAR? Hameed has been getting vibes for the silver screen and declined at least one Bollywood offer because he didn’t fancy the role.

I was also involved with making short films during my student days at TAMUQ. Another interest of mine is painting and drawing portraits; some of my work were featured at the art gallery at Qatar Foundation and have won prizes. I also love horse riding and swimming.
 
You are an upcoming model working with local and international brands. Tell us about some of your experiences with modelling.
 I am quite involved these days working with fashion modelling and appearing in commercials for popular brands and companies in Qatar and the region; I am also involved with modelling for some international brands and companies. I enjoy modelling for all kinds of fashion brands — clothes as well as accessories such as sunglasses, watches and shoes. Working for each is unique and the style varies, too; I look different in each shot based on the theme and photo. I have the ability to be a ‘multi-model’ — in the sense, I can actually look
quite different, based on the characters and styles I am trying to portray.
What I enjoy the most about modelling is the opportunity to network and build relationships with many different groups of interesting people around the world like famous directors, photographers, designers, brands owner and filmmakers. In addition, I think, being a chemical engineer who is involved in modelling does give me a unique advantage, as people find the mix of talents interesting. People often tell me that I inspire them as they can see, it is possible to mix varied interests successfully, even if they are pursuing interests that are as different as academics and modelling — something more glamorous.
There are challenges, too, when you pursue modelling with a full time job, especially in Qatar and the Middle East as this is a relatively young field in this part of the world. The requirements are a little different, too.
A major challenge I face revolves around the shooting/ filming time and hours, as they conflict with my time at work; the financial remuneration is comparatively low here as well. As I see it, this is because the shooting of most of the commercials and advertisements here, are controlled by modelling agencies which are looking to work with a minimum budget; their timings and schedules are not flexible either. On the other hand, international agencies are a lot more flexible and accommodating, in working around your schedule and they compensate well too, based on the number of hours you put in.  

Tell us about your foray into acting.
I have acted in some short films and video advertisements that have been featured on Qatar TV, YouTube channels and some local Qatar-based movies.  
I’ve played roles in various commercial advertisements and short video clips like the ones released for important events such as National Day, Sport Day, Ramadan as well as commercial videos for organisations like QNB, Supreme Council of Health (Seha), QIC Qatar Insurance Company and Kahramaa.  
Of course, I’ve also been part of the video produced by my own company — Qchem, which was brought out to highlight its role with Qatarisation.
Of all the movies and advertisements I’ve been part of, I enjoyed the making of the Ajyal promo film the most, because the team was very professional in dealing with all the cast. In addition, the character I played had a very cinematic role and, at some point, it was like making a real movie.
Although, I’ve played a few characters, most often I find myself playing a young dad.

You were also offered a role in a Bollywood movie, right?
Yes, I did get an offer to act in a Bollywood movie, but I couldn’t accept it because I can’t speak the language, although I was told that wasn’t an issue; I wasn’t too happy with the role offered either. It was basically an action movie with a lot of racing and motorbikes.
Actually, I prefer to take on a villain’s role; I think it’s fun as the villain outsmarts everyone else and ends up looking clever, because he never gets caught. I also think I will do well to play a villain, as I can express an evil character quite easily.
Ideally, I would like to act in action and sci-fi movies where heroes have super powers. Horror movies also interest me; basically, I prefer the kind of movies that keep the audience watching, waiting and wondering, as the story takes on unexpected twists and plots.

What kind of movies do you enjoy watching?
Horror and science fiction movies; I am a big fan of Resident Evil movies.

Who are your favourite actors?
Leonardo DiCaprio and Tom Cruise are easily my favourites in Hollywood, while I enjoy watching Hrithik Roshan and Ranveer Singh Bhavani on the Bollywood screen.
 
What do you consider your greatest strength?
I’m blessed with good communication skills and have the ability to make friends easily. I have friends among various groups of people; this not only gives me an active social life, but also increases the opportunities to get more offers for modelling and advertisements as
networking is very crucial in this field. Being photogenic is an added strength and is an asset in the fashion industry and in filming.
What do you consider to be your greatest achievement?
I believe that through social media, I’ve been able to influence and inspire people towards achieving important goals in education, lifestyle and health. This, to me, is an important achievement.
What was the most inspiring moment of your life?
That would definitely be the time when I had the opportunity to make a brief presentation in front of HH the Father Emir Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa al-Thani, the-then Emir of Qatar and a few other ministers, on the plant process at Q-Chem during the inauguration of Q-Chem 2 project.

Who motivates you?
My mother, my close friends and of course, my fans and followers who are always giving me new ideas and suggestions for modelling and filming.

What scares you?
I have to be careful not to become overconfident or take quick decisions that I might later regret.

Tell us your dream.  
To become a person of influence and one who can inspire people at a global level.

What is your favourite pastime or activity?
I enjoy painting and drawing.

What is your dream destination?
Infinity and beyond…

How would you describe your life right now?
I would say that life right
now is simple. I’m satisfied and happy.
 
Your attitude to life?
To take up and do things with confidence, without listening to thoughts of fear or failure.  

Lessons learnt from life:
Never just blindly trust
anyone.