Kubra Khan talks about her characters never finding love in projects

The actor sat down to talk about her back to back hits and how she perceives the entertainment industry

Kubra Khan made her debut in the entertainment industry with the 2014 comedy thriller Na Maloom Afraad and eight years later, she's become a household name. From TV to films, the 28-year-old actor has many critically acclaimed performances up her sleeve, ranging from Sarah in Khuda aur Mohabbat to Shireen in Sang-e-Mar Mar. She is currently being lauded for her roles in Sinf-e-Aahan, Sang-e-Mah and Hum Kahan Ke Sachay Thay. Known for doing versatile roles, the actor recently spoke about her success, love-less characters and how she perceives the entertainment industry.

Given the fame with recent back to back dramas trending on Twitter, Kubra was asked how she feels as a superstar. Flattered by the question, Kubra, smiling, told Independent Urdu that she hasn’t quite figured out what that term really means but she is grateful for the love. “I haven’t yet realised what a ‘superstar’ technically is. For me, if I became a [good] actor, that would be big enough for me. I’m just glad that people are enjoying my work and it’s inspiring them.” For Kubra, it’s important to stay grounded. “I think it’s essential to have my head in the clouds but feet on the ground.”

Upon being asked whether she believes multiple dramas featuring her aired at the same time was a wrong decision, Kubra promptly disagreed. “I think this is where your acting comes into play. I got lucky because in Hum Kahan Ke Sachay Thay, she was an antagonist. In Sinf-e-Aahan, she was a spoilt brat turned into an independent woman soldier, in Sang-e-Mah she's a calm, collected person. It depends on the characters you do. If you've similar characters throughout then I agree that the audience wouldn't be able to relate with you. But if they're poles apart, it doesn't matter then.”

The Alif actor also shared how the two star studded projects, Sinf-e-Aahan and Sang-e-Mah, landed in her life at the same time. “I signed Sang-e-Mah almost 3 years ago. At that time, I didn't know the Sang-e-Mar Mar family would come back again. I only knew about Nomi bhai (Naumaan Ijaz) and Sania (Saeed) apa and that Mustafa (Afridi) and Saifee (Hasan) bhai were involved and I was in.”

Sinf-e-Aahan, however, came naturally to Kubra despite the odds against her fate and she credits God for it. “I had gained weight at that time, and didn't look as physically active as per the requirements. But somehow it naturally happened. It just fell in my lap.”

Kubra also revealed a statement she heard from a fellow industry senior that she’s extremely proud of. “Umera (Ahmed) jee once called me and said, ‘I wanted to appreciate you for your Mashal’s role in Hum Kahan Ke Sachay Thay. You’ve become the saviour person for us that whenever we’re stuck with a character, we know Kubra will come like the angel she is and save it.’ I can’t forget this line ever,” shared the famed actor.

Talking about how her characters often end up in a one-sided romantic affair, she continued, “However, given the fate of my characters, I don’t get love in any projects I do. I’ll get friendship but never a mutual romantic relationship, and maybe that’s okay. All kinds of love are welcome.”

When asked if love should be a part of all series whether they falls in the romantic genre or not, Kubra shared that it is something that’s unavoidable. “I’m that old school romantic who believes that there’s nothing without love. You can’t eliminate it, it will be a part of human relationships. And it can be familial, romantic or even platonic.”

Speaking about the military lady cadet experience and getting into character, Kubra continued, “When we signed the script, we knew we’d have to be active. Every day we came home with bruises, cuts, our nails would scrape off, there’s blood on our bodies. For the three months we were in PMA, we’d be injured every day. But the script was so challenging and the work environment was so welcoming that we’d wake up the next day and be ready to do it all over again.”

One significant highlight of Sinf-e-Aahan was the stars clad in uniforms picking up guns for trainings. Shedding light on that experience, Kubra exclaimed, "It was thrilling. We shot with two guns, a G3 and MP5. When I was shooting with G3, i was aware that it's a heavy gun and needed a certain posture. But when I shot it, it was so loud that when I pulled the trigger, my cap blew off. I looked at Nadeem sahab and laughed so much."

While Kubra likes films as a one-off thing, she prefers the small screen more. “I have a different connection with dramas. It takes you on a journey of emotions. Not everyone watches films but everyone watches dramas. There’s an instant result with dramas and I believe I can connect better with the audience as well. You’re more loved too.”

Kubra shares a five-year-long close friendship with actor Gohar Rasheed and while they’ve done projects together in the past, they’ve never shared a screen together and the two are extremely excited to have done that with Humayun Saeed’s London Nahi Jaunga. “It’s funny how we worked on projects together but always in parallel universes so I loved working with him after being such good friends,” shared Kubra. The comedy thriller is slated for its cinematic release on Eidul Adha.