Mar 28 2010
Firstperson: Humaima’s oomph
By Saima Salman 
“I need a moment,” Humaima says while being made up for a photo shoot. The ‘moment’ lasts for a little more than 20 minutes. “I need my hair to be done.” Then her hair takes a few hundred seconds. “I’m ready now,” she says settling herself into a rather cushy chair. Humaima is a known model and actress, and has recently stirred the world of Pakistani showbiz by doing a film in India. The petite actress shies away from divulging information on her Indian project, “All I can say is that it’s a big banner film produced by a famous personality and I’m playing the love-interest (lead character) of a known Khan.” Now who could that be? Humaima suggests she’s contractually bound not to give away details of the picture, hence the tight-lipped attitude. But what good is a scribe who can’t ferret out at least a modicum of vital info. “Alright, so Sohail Khan is producing it.” Sohail Khan, I might add, is Salman Khan’s younger brother. Pakistani actors who have worked in India in recent times haven’t enjoyed the liberty of taking part in meaningful roles. As Humaima is in the early stages of her showbiz career, she couldn’t have accepted a role that merely comprised three tree-circumambulating dance sequences and a few monosyllabic lines? “The role has a lot of margin because it’s a serious, historical film.” How did the producers detect the acting gene in her before selecting her for the role? “They’d seen a couple of my dance performances and DVDs and they liked it. Almost 75 per cent of the work has been completed on the film, and the rest I’m going to shoot soon,” she says. This raised the question: Pakistani showbiz glitterati such as Shaan, Syed Noor and Atiqa Odho have strongly condemned collaboration with Bollywood. Humaima does not go along with them as she feels India is a huge market and can only benefit Pakistani performers because they get great exposure and experience. Technically, the Indian film industry is head and shoulders above its Pakistani counterpart, so it can only help us. “I know my limits while working in an Indian biopic. I’m a Muslim girl and there are lines that I shouldn’t be crossing. I’m more excited about the film that I’m doing with Shoaib Mansoor. It’s a great script and working with someone like Shoaib Sahib is an extremely enriching experience. In the film, which is to be released pretty soon, I’m again playing the lead part. It’s a very serious role which is integral to the intense storyline. Shoaib Sahib explains each and every line and makes you learn about the subject in a professional manner. I’ve learned a lot from him,” says Humaima. Indeed Shoaib Mansoor never does anything just for the heck of it. The reason Humaima sounds super-thrilled with the prospects of the film is its woman-oriented subject (so I hear) having a stellar cast. With the likes of VJ Mahira Khan, pop singer Atif Aslam and actress Iman Ali flaunting their flair for acting, a lot is expected of the project. This begs the query: how come Humaima is playing the heroine with Iman Ali as her co-actor? I decide to leave that discussion for some other time. “Shoaib Sahib has also composed the music of the film apart from writing its lyrics,” she enthuses. The transition from the idiot box to the silver screen is never an easy one. Humaima, prior to her latest achievements, has mostly worked either for television or walked the ramp, but the world of cinema was alien to her. “I’ve worked with some very good directors. I’m not a dumb girl either. I very well know where to look by using which angle. I’m not unfamiliar with the camera, so working in films wasn’t that big an issue for me,” she says. As for juggling professional duties and domestic chores, she seems cool, “My folks are aware of the necessities and constraints of our profession,” says the actress. The interview over, Humaima asks the coordinator where to head for the photo session. This time round she doesn’t need a moment to prepare herself. She is in it. Courtesy: Dawn Images
