I don’t limit myself to item numbers: Humaima Malick
Humaima Malick on failure of ‘Dekh Magar Pyar Say’, ‘Raja Natwarlal’ and the success that ‘Arth 2’ could be
Humaima and Shaan strike a pose on the sets of Arth 2. PHOTO: PUBLICITY & AKIF ILYAS
LAHORE:
Humaima is an unabashedly assertive go getter — a girl who knows what she wants and after a lengthy conversation, I am convinced that acting is what it is. She is certain about the kind of roles she wants to play and even though her last two films didn’t strike a chord with the audience, the actor has no regrets. She speaks to The Express Tribune about Raja Natwarlal, Dekh Magar Pyar Say (DMPS) and more importantly Arth 2 — the next big project of her career.
Humaima is portraying Parveen Babi, a character that was played by Smita Patel in the original version of Arth, which was directed by Mahesh Bhatt. “It’s challenging to play a real life person, especially when she has already been played by an actor such as Smita Patel,” says Humaima, “If we had to pick an Asian Marilyn Monroe it would definitely be Parveen Babi so it was natural to second guess myself: Why me? How will I do it?” What helped her get past the initial cold feet was Shaan’s faith in her, particularly when he said, “You are not customised for this role, this role is customised for you.” The male lead for Arth 2 was switched from Humayun Saeed to Mohib Mirza but Shaan always had Humaima in mind for the film. “If it was someone else producing the film I might not have done it, I am only doing it for Shaan,” she says.
Shaan shares BTS pictures from the sets of Arth 2
Humaima strongly believes that she is not your typical girl-next-door; she doesn’t want to play the girls who are somebody’s love interest with no goals of their own. “I like facing challenges and playing characters that drive the plot. I don’t want to be an actor who plays safe and easy roles.”
She has a diverse body of work, ranging from Zainub, a suppressed daughter of a cleric in Shoaib Mansoor’s Bol, to Ziya, a bar dancer in Raja Natwarlal, to Annie, a con girl in DMPS. She has also acted as Meera alongside Sanjay Dutt in Sher, which is scheduled to come out later this year. “I like doing films that have phrases that go viral such as my dialogue in Bol – ‘jab khila nai sakte tou paida kyun karte ho’ – a film she holds as the highlight of her career. “I don’t only do item numbers that entertain. I can cry, I can do romance and I can make people laugh,” she smirks.
As far as DMPS’ failure in cinemas is concerned, she says she gave her best shot. “A star in any country can only give a good opening to the film. I was the only known person from the industry in that film and it earned Rs800,000 on the first day.” She further elaborates, “The second day belongs to the director and the third day to the script and if the plot and director are weak, even the biggest star of the industry can’t save a film.”
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She doesn’t regret opting for DMPS and feels that it’s her duty, both as Pakistani and as an actor who is a part of a growing industry, to support upcoming film directors. “I can’t get a Shoaib Mansoor script each time, it’s a once or twice in a lifetime opportunity.” The actor is also working on Mission Allah Hu Akbar with Shaan among other projects. “I have another mainstream production lined up with a director who gave Pakistan one of its biggest hits and this project will go on the floor right after Arth 2,” she concludes.
Published in The Express Tribune, January 10th, 2016.
Humaima is an unabashedly assertive go getter — a girl who knows what she wants and after a lengthy conversation, I am convinced that acting is what it is. She is certain about the kind of roles she wants to play and even though her last two films didn’t strike a chord with the audience, the actor has no regrets. She speaks to The Express Tribune about Raja Natwarlal, Dekh Magar Pyar Say (DMPS) and more importantly Arth 2 — the next big project of her career.
Humaima is portraying Parveen Babi, a character that was played by Smita Patel in the original version of Arth, which was directed by Mahesh Bhatt. “It’s challenging to play a real life person, especially when she has already been played by an actor such as Smita Patel,” says Humaima, “If we had to pick an Asian Marilyn Monroe it would definitely be Parveen Babi so it was natural to second guess myself: Why me? How will I do it?” What helped her get past the initial cold feet was Shaan’s faith in her, particularly when he said, “You are not customised for this role, this role is customised for you.” The male lead for Arth 2 was switched from Humayun Saeed to Mohib Mirza but Shaan always had Humaima in mind for the film. “If it was someone else producing the film I might not have done it, I am only doing it for Shaan,” she says.
Shaan shares BTS pictures from the sets of Arth 2
Humaima strongly believes that she is not your typical girl-next-door; she doesn’t want to play the girls who are somebody’s love interest with no goals of their own. “I like facing challenges and playing characters that drive the plot. I don’t want to be an actor who plays safe and easy roles.”
She has a diverse body of work, ranging from Zainub, a suppressed daughter of a cleric in Shoaib Mansoor’s Bol, to Ziya, a bar dancer in Raja Natwarlal, to Annie, a con girl in DMPS. She has also acted as Meera alongside Sanjay Dutt in Sher, which is scheduled to come out later this year. “I like doing films that have phrases that go viral such as my dialogue in Bol – ‘jab khila nai sakte tou paida kyun karte ho’ – a film she holds as the highlight of her career. “I don’t only do item numbers that entertain. I can cry, I can do romance and I can make people laugh,” she smirks.
As far as DMPS’ failure in cinemas is concerned, she says she gave her best shot. “A star in any country can only give a good opening to the film. I was the only known person from the industry in that film and it earned Rs800,000 on the first day.” She further elaborates, “The second day belongs to the director and the third day to the script and if the plot and director are weak, even the biggest star of the industry can’t save a film.”
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She doesn’t regret opting for DMPS and feels that it’s her duty, both as Pakistani and as an actor who is a part of a growing industry, to support upcoming film directors. “I can’t get a Shoaib Mansoor script each time, it’s a once or twice in a lifetime opportunity.” The actor is also working on Mission Allah Hu Akbar with Shaan among other projects. “I have another mainstream production lined up with a director who gave Pakistan one of its biggest hits and this project will go on the floor right after Arth 2,” she concludes.
Published in The Express Tribune, January 10th, 2016.