Jana Malik’s disappearing acts

Actor opens up on her journey through the drama industry

KARACHI:

If fans were to say anything about Jana Malik, it would surely relate to her frequent disappearances from the television screens. But for Malik, a sporadic career path feels better than a steady one. “We actors work very hard but it is easy for viewers to switch channels,” she explains to The Express Tribune, when asked about her disappearing acts. “I don’t want people to get bored of looking at my face every time they switch on the TV.”

Nearly two decades of acting have given her sound knowledge of how things work in the industry and she stands by it. “The viewership in Pakistan needs to realise that before switching to Turkish or Indian serials, it should give us a chance. They shouldn’t change the channel when a commercial break comes on,” explains Malik. “Pakistani plays are a portrayal of certain identifiable positions that everyone can relate to. So don’t write us off at the beginning.”

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Malik hails from a filmy family and boasts of it rather proudly. “My nana was Naseem Popular who made movies and owned cinema houses across Pakistan. My nani was Laila, the famous actor from yesteryears,” reveals Malik, excitedly.  “My dada was the grand old Bari sahib of Bari Studios. He too had cinemas and his film, Yakkay Wali, was a superhit in its time. So, I have literally grown up in a family of artists and entertainers.” Considering this, it is barely surprising that Jana made her debut at the mere age of 13, in the PTV classic Raig Zar. “The show followed the life of a young girl and how it changes after the death of her loving father,” shares Malik. The girl is then forced to marry an older man and so begins a series of trials and tribulations for the protagonist. “At such a young age, I showed producer Ayub Khawar that I could cry with real tears on screen. I could switch from one emotion to another in a matter of minutes,” she says.



With talent such as Malik’s, transitioning onto the big screen was the natural step forward. “Initially, I wasn’t comfortable in the film set-up at all and felt like TV offered much more diversity for me,” recalls the actor, who debuted with Syed Noor’s film, Muhafiz. “The film got a positive response I got an even better feedback for my work in PTV’s Bulandi. I was touched by their appreciation.”

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And so, the 32-year-old went back to her television roots. She has since been creating magic on the small screen and has worked with an impressive list of male co-stars to date, including Naumaan Ejaz, Sami Khan, Faisal Qureshi and most recently, Umair Jaswal. Interestingly, Malik has something to say about each. “Ejaz has this versatility as an actor which takes one off guard and keeps them on their toes throughout. Khan, on the other hand, I have utmost respect for as we are friends and I worked with him in my first play,” shares Malik. “Qureshi has this instant reaction to any role he is assigned. And as for Jaswal, he is a great artist who has an impeccable dialogue delivery.”

Published in The Express Tribune, February 13^th,  2016.

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