I want to do something meaningful for Pakistani women: Humaima Malick

Actor Humaima Malick on throwing weight behind Punjab’s women protection legislation through video message

LAHORE: Lately, actor Humaima Malick has been busy on a front that has little to do with her showbiz career. While the cause of gender equality in Pakistan requires awareness, our celebrities usually tend to shy away from taking positions on subjects that they feel might create trouble for them.

But Malick has decided to use her position as one of the country’s top stars, to throw weight behind women’s rights. While she has been quite vocal against the Council of Islamic Ideology’s proposed amendments to women’s protection legislation, recently the Dekh Magar Pyaar Say actor has shot a video message, endorsing the Punjab Women Protection Bill 2016.

Talking to The Express Tribune about turning to such issues, Malick said, “Money can never get you complete satisfaction. I know that because I have it and I still wake up in the middle of the night wanting to do something bigger and better.” The actor said she wants to do something meaningful for the women of the country. “I want it to be greater than these hackneyed hair shampoo and beauty soap commercials.” She said she wants to use her position to rally support for the law.

In the video, Malick uses uplifting words, touching upon some of the salient points of the bill that addresses different forms of violence against women. Emphasising that women make up 55% of our population, she said, “Education is essential for a woman. We discriminate between our people a lot in terms of social standing but education will change that.” She  went on to say that,  “Marriage does not limit a woman and the most successful women are those who are self-sufficient. By doing this video, I want to set examples for other celebrities as well.” Malick holds Bollywood actors such as Madhuri Dixit and Deepika Padukone in high regard, for they too have, in the past, been vocal on on domestic violence and women empowerment.

Her last Bollywood venture Raja Natwarlal disappointed at the box office but Malick said she gives her everything to every film that she does. “We take months to shoot a film and then [in just] one day we get to know whether it’s a flop or a hit so that takes a toll on me as an actor,” she admitted. Malick said this is the reason why she has now become more particular about her script choices.

Her Pakistani venture Arth 2 — a film that’s quite close to her heart — is still in production. The film will see Malick play a role inspired by Smita Patel’s character from the original Mahesh Bhatt film. Bhatt had written Patel’s role after taking cue from his personal relations with Bollywood diva Parveen Babi. “I’ve given so much to the Parveen Babi character. It takes a lot to give a performance like that,” Malick said, adding, “I believe that an actor who gives their best to a project should be doing one film a year and that’s what I’ve been doing.”

Watch Humaima's full message here:


Published in The Express Tribune, August 2^nd, 2016.

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