Pakistani actress and model Aamina Sheikh tells t2 about doing a hat-trick of two-sister serials (shown on Zindagi), and friends Fawad and Mahira joining Bollywood.
We see you being a part of another sister rivalry in Shikkan (airs on Zindagi, weekdays at 5.30pm) after Maat and Aaina Dulhan Ka...
When Maat was on air, it was the first time that sibling rivalry was explored on Pakistani television. Then there was an insurgence of scripts that were two-sister stories. It took us aback. Why would you want to do the same formula again? But apparently once something succeeds you want to repeat it until it is completely worn out. That is the kind of effect Maat had on the market. It was difficult for us actors. I refused a lot of two-sister stories. But I was lucky in getting a couple of concepts in which I was still a bit different. For Mirat-ul-Uroos (beamed in India as Aaina Dulhan Ka), I took up the darker role. After Aiman in Maat, it would have been foolish to take up another doormat character. So I explored the other extreme.
When Silvatein (original title of Shikkan in Pakistan) came to me, the director was very keen to have me in it. I saw that the canvas and the palette of this story were different. The girl has passionate interest in social work and is caught in the mix of trying to help a teenager make a living. She is bossy in a fun way. Then the plot becomes complex. I had belief in the director and the writer. In Silvatein, another thing that worked was the casting — a fresh and young group cleverly mixed with experienced ones.
Zindagi has also aired your Piya Re (Mora Piya in Pakistan). The pivot of the serial — the mafia raping the leading lady to take revenge on her journalist husband — is so stark that Indian serial-makers are unlikely to take up such a story. What was your reaction when it was offered to you?
When I listened to the narration, it really affected me. I could feel the intensity of the story by my own reaction. I knew that the makers had the sensitivity to deal with it in a believable way. If I did not have that confidence, I would not have taken it on.
Do you think the TV industry in Pakistan takes its audience to be more mature than we do here?
What you say might be true because of the target audience. Perhaps the masses have responded to what Indian TV has been showing. Even over here, the Indian content is popular. Masses bahut shauk se dekhte hain. Perhaps there is a market for all three kinds. It’s not a question of one being better than the other.
Another of your serials, Daam, will be shown here soon.
Really? Oh my god! Zindagi is really on a marathon. You might be thinking it was done all at once but there is a six-seven year gap. Daam was one of my first serials. Silvatein is one of my latest. You will see the difference. Daam should have been shown earlier. You are going in reverse (giggles). In Daam, Aadeel (Hussain) and I were cast together for the first time. We were brother and sister. From siblings to a romantic couple would have been acceptable. But the other way round? I don’t know!
Recently you retweeted an inspirational message by Jennifer Lopez. Do you find any empathy in the way both of you straddle the worlds of modelling and cinema?
I like a lot of global stars — JLo, Beyonce and Oprah. I follow American Idol a lot as my husband (Mohib Mirza) hosts the Pakistani version. It is interesting to see how they conduct the show.
What kind of music do you like?
I like One Direction, Ed Sheeran, Bruno Mars…. Back home, I like Rahat (Fateh Ali Khan), Ali Azmat (of Junoon) also.
You shot a World Cup promotional video with a lot of your stars.
It was done before the Cup when we had a lot of hope. Javed Miandad also shot with us.
Did he sing?
Yeah, he also sang. It was hilarious. They adlibbed his line. All of us non-singers were brought on board. We shot together. He’s a jolly guy. He was talking of how his son was doing in studies.
After Fawad Khan and Imran Abbas, now Mahira Khan has signed a film in Bollywood, that too opposite Shah Rukh Khan. Does that put pressure on the female stars?
More than pressure, it’s like opening doors. With Fawad, we had hoped jo jaaye, achha karke aaye. Negative things had happened before. It had disillusioned us and brought a bad name to our industry.
You must be talking of Veena Malik.
I am not taking any names. We wanted our actors to show our country in a good light. Ali Zafar did that through his music, Fawad has done it through the one film he has done. He did his job as actor, irrespective of the box office.
Did you see Khoobsurat?
Yes, I enjoyed it. It released in the theatres. Everyone was anxious to see how he does. Sonam (Kapoor) is a big name here. He really does shine. That’s huge. It has opened doors. Now with Mahira, inshallah, more good things will happen. She is a friend. We meet socially.
Sudeshna Banerjee
