I was alive; I didn't go anywhere: Iman Aly on making big screen comeback

‘Tich Button’ star on why she chose to stay away from the limelight

KARACHI:

We're seated at an upscale restaurant in Karachi when Iman Aly wanders out of a small space. One would think she must follow her diet to a T to maintain her impeccable figure - but there's one weakness she openly confesses to: devouring a scrumptious plate of Dahi Ballay.

She orders a serving and sits down with a group of people as her stylist fluffs her hair for a photo shoot. "I think we should step out for the photos," she tells the photographer. "The light is perfect and I'd get to wear my sunglasses. I look better in them anyway," Aly winks as she sashays out the glass door. "I told them not to make me a part of the promotions," Aly tells The Express Tribune. "I'm not kidding; I have no filter regarding almost anything. Please tell me you have some fun questions."

Karachi has been rather tiring for Aly; the promotions, the events, the makeup - the whole package. "I find this city too blurring," she says. "The people are too fast. I've been in Lahore for the last few years and I think I have adapted to the culture." Laughing, Aly adds, "I never thought I could if I am honest. But once I got married, my husband asked me to pack up and we happily moved."

Talking about her 'comeback' to the big screen, Aly comments, "I was alive! I didn't go anywhere. I don't look at this as a 'comeback'. I've been a part of this industry since I was born. I never went away, you know." She whispers. "So, I don't understand how it would be called a comeback."

But Aly confesses that even though she has been in the industry for decades, she hasn't worked much. "Considering how long I have been in the industry, I don't think I have worked a lot," she remarks. "I only modelled for seven years - from 2000 to 2007. Later, I came on board as an ambassador for many brands, but I was done modelling. When Khuda Kay Liye was released, I told myself to make up my mind - either be a model or an actor. Seems like I chose the latter."

At the peak of her career, Aly was diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis. "I made a strong point to be very upfront about my condition," Aly recalls. "I tried to bring as much attention to this as I could. It was an important choice. We all are so vocal about how perfect our lives are, how celebrities are these people who can't be harmed - but we just don't talk about diseases, do we? As if we all are immortal. I'm very immuno-compromised. I haven't, though, taken any medications for it. I believe in mind over matter."

Pit stop for ‘Tich Button’

After being last seen in Fahad Mustafa-starrer, Mah-e-Mir and away from the limelight for a good six years, Aly is returning to the big screen with Urwa Hocane's maiden production, Tich Button. The model-turned-actor, however, feels that every project she has taken was different from the last. "Mah-e-Mir was more regal; it was a double role. It had its own challenges, you know. Each character I played was different. So, I've been blessed that way."

She asserts, "It also depends on the audience how much they want to see us, right? It's not something for me to decide. So, what can I say about that? Qasim Mureed [Tich Button's director] will be a better person to share why they thought I was a perfect fit for Leena." At this point, she calls Mureed, "I was just telling them how you haven't shown the relatable bit about my character in the trailer." The filmmaker adds, "Leena was tailormade for her. We couldn't think of any other actor who could have done a better job."

Aly gushes, "He's too kind! But hey, it's not every day I get to crawl up a table and give my boss a shut-up call!" Aly shared that she didn't have to prepare for her character, Leena. "Oh, Leena is just me but onscreen!" the supermodel adds. "She is just as fierce as I am and just as outspoken as I am. She also has a no-bullshit rule, which I apply to my life religiously. She can't stand people who lie and always stands up for the truth. That all is me, so it was all so very relatable!" The Bol actor, however, shares that there are many layers to her character. "She's a Turkish woman; there's a lot of progression in her role throughout the film."

Aly then adds, "I had a blast working with everyone. I previously worked in Khuda Kay Liye, Bol and Mah-e-Mir, which had very different flavours. Tich Button was entirely unlike my previous films. And I enjoyed it. I loved working with Farhan, specifically! It was a delight to work with him. He's a great actor; I was taken aback by his brilliance. I've done a few scenes with Feroze; my scenes with Farhan were elaborate. I know people see my and Feroze's interaction more in the trailer, but that's the twist! Feroze and I play friends in the film, but my scenes with Farhan are very intense."

Aly, however, retorts that it was Mureed with whom she had a hard time. "He and I would fight!" she chuckles. "See, this is why I told them not to make me a part of promotions! I can't lie; I will spill everything!"

She concludes, "But Qasim has been a dear friend for a long time. So, for me to see him put on his director's hat just didn't sit well. We would bicker over scenes, the dressing, his, and my idea of how we should shoot a scene. But like, I mentioned, it's great to be in front of a camera again."

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