In no time our friendship, turned into more: Armeena Khan

‘Janaan’ actor discusses relationship with fiancé, career in showbiz and more

ISLAMABAD : Hot off the success of her latest offering, Yalghaar, actor Armeena Khan broke the news of her engagement with long-time British beau, Fesl Khan on her Instagram, where she enjoys the admiration of a plethora of followers.





Now while we know the proposal was made in Cuba (a dream come true for any girl), we didn’t quite know who the television sweetheart’s soon-to-be-husband was. However, in an exclusive exchange of thoughts with The Express Tribune, Khan and her fiancé discussed matters of compatibility, Armeena’s career in showbiz and more.

First things first, Armeena is one of the most celebrated actresses in Pakistan currently. Are you aware of her popularity?

 Fesl Khan: Behind every great man is a woman, but I feel the reverse is also true. Regardless of who we are, we all need a great team and a supportive family. If Armeena will make a mistake, I’ll be there to catch her and when she rises, I’ll be there to applaud her. That’s how you need to be in your key relationships. I wasn’t fully aware of how big she was in Pakistan, but people told me she was doing quite well. It was complete ignorance on my part, but I feel the world is in for a surprise, from what is going to come out of Pakistan, especially in talent.

Have you seen any of Armeena’s films?

Fesl: I have. I loved Bin Roye and Janaan. Armeena plays an expat in both and we got to see Pakistan from her eyes. The colours, the sites, the sounds, as a foreign Pakistani, we saw the country our parents left decades ago, and it’s a magical utopia. Both the films conveyed a beautiful image of Pakistan. Yalghaar was a boys’ action film, so I didn’t see Armeena to her fullest ability, but the film itself means a lot to Pakistanis. I try to watch every Pakistani film out here to support the film industry. In fact, I even take my non-Pakistani friends along and they enjoy it as much.



Armeena, how did you first meet Fesl and at what point do you think you realized he was the one?

Armeena Khan: Fesl is my relative and I’ve known him pretty much all my life. He was very annoying as a kid, I was too, but I remember him coming over to Canada and all the chess and card games we had. I don’t quite remember when we practically started to like each other, but he was always there for me. I started my university here, in Manchester and I realised that there was this one person who would always help me out. Soon I would use his shoulder to cry on with my heartaches, and in no time our friendship turned into a little bit more.

You’ve also admitted to having had rough patches in your relationship. How does one overcome hindrances in a romantic partnership?

Armeena: I’m very feisty, so we disagreed on many things. You see relationships are never single-faceted; you need to be compatible on various levels. I don’t believe in falling in love, love is a process. Do you really want to have kids with this person? Do you really know he’s going to be the best father? There are many things one looks into.

Fesl: I think we’re very strategic, ambitious and sensible. We asked ourselves a lot of questions, this is a partnership and we consulted our families as well. I don’t mean to make it sound political, but we do want to make sure that what we do succeeds in the long-term. I love her values; she has a very high level of integrity. She’s very straightforward and loyal, and this applies to all her relationships. I’m not going to say we’re special because every couple is special for them and at this point, the smallest of things attract.

I love the way Armeena carries herself, whenever she wears a dress, it seems like a fairy gliding and not everyone can do that. But then when you ask yourself some serious questions, like could you trust them with your children and that when all these emotions are over and you’re at your life’s sunset, can you still have a conversation with this person, laugh and talk to them? I think we make a good team that way.

The world knows you had a dream proposal in Cuba, Armeena, how did it come about?

Armeena: It came as a surprise. Cuba was on my bucket list for years and this summer I knew I had to make it happen. It’s a place that’s stuck in time and it’ll change very soon, but I wanted to visit before it does and experience the old world. Fesl was planning something I didn’t know about. He was dropping hints and since I had been working in Pakistan since November, I didn’t give it a serious thought. Suddenly, one day, he told me we had a photoshoot and he was acting very suspicious with all these secret meetings. And he takes me down a beautiful beach, gets down on one knee and asks me to marry him.

I went through a lot of emotions at that moment. I was shocked, but I had tears in my eyes and they were blinding me. I went into this crazy mode and just put my hand forward, and he slipped the ring on my finger. I’ve always been quite traditional. I’m a combination of two cultures and I’ve always been very old-fashioned. The proposal was more westernised. He has asked my Dad for his permission first, I found out afterwards, but we’re very happy. There are things that need to be achieved for now, but when we feel we need to start a family we will.

Fesl, you’re a British politician with Kashmiri roots. How do you plan upon showcasing a progressive image of Pakistan to global politics?



Fesl: I hate politicians, but I love politics. Without politics, you’ll have conflict. It’s a way of making decisions and looking for solutions without resorting to violence. Some think it’s a career or a game, and have dirtied the process, which is actually quite noble. My first loyalty is to my voters and I represent them, even if it means subjugating my opinions to their interest. In Europe there’s a narrative against Muslims and Pakistanis also. And it’s our failure for not telling our story. I’ll be losing money, my peace, time and it’s basically a sacrifice. A leader sets an example, that’s the school-of-thought I come from.

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