If being progressive is wearing swimsuits on television, that's culturally unacceptable: Atiqa Odho

In an exclusive interview, the veteran talks about her journey as an actor, upcoming projects and more

KARACHI:

"I feel that if you are really pouring out your heart into your craft, there's no end to the opportunities out there," said actor Atiqa Odho in a Zoom interview with The Express Tribune.

Since her first appearance on television in Sitara Aur Mehrunissa, Odho has managed to stay both relevant and graceful despite changing times and conventions. From her starring in various popular dramas such as Humsafar, Kaisi Teri Khudgarzi, and Pardes, to her upcoming international debut in Turkish drama Koyu Beyaz, the veteran keeps on surprising people with her commitment to acting.

"I think I've been extremely blessed to play roles onscreen that I've always dreamt of," relayed Odho while talking about her decades-long career in acting. "A true actor is never satisfied with their performance; I still struggle to do my best and I think that is how it should be, otherwise, you become bored with yourself."

In order to keep challenging herself, the Pyar Ke Sadqay actor also recounted how she tries her best to choose diverse roles on television, but the efforts remain futile. "Sadly, repetition is not avoidable every time as uniquely written characters are lacking in scripts," Odho added.

The road to international borders

"I felt like I was part of a historical change there," said Odho, while detailing her recent visit to Saudi Arabia. "I didn't know what to expect, I was just told to visit a few places, but to my surprise, everything had changed. The entire region has adopted a more futuristic mindset."

Last month, Odho met officials from the Saudi entertainment ministry and a committee to promote media and entertainment between the two countries. Her stay in the region was packed with beautiful experiences of visiting Makkah, Madina, Jeddah and Alkaaba Almushrafaa-the facility which manufactures Kiswa, the cloth that covers the Holy Kaaba.

However, one aspect which caught her eye was the efforts made by the Saudi authorities to help women prosper in society. "It was amazing how they are moving ahead and working towards putting women in all fields of work," she said.

Upon being asked why she desires to promote Pakistani content in Saudi Arabia, Odho responded, "We have a lot of Pakistanis living in Saudi Arabia and a huge indigenous following there that adores our dramas and films as the themes are culturally close to what they deem as acceptable in their society."

She further added, "I feel that we have a massive opportunity to dub our projects and present them there, yet sadly we aren't taking any initiative. Our networks, producers, and creators should look towards forming joint ventures and focus on creating subtitles for the Arab community, it will be the beginning of a new era."

In 2021, Odho was elected as the chairperson of Actors Collective Trust, which aims to work for the betterment of the artist community in Pakistan. According to the actor, Saudi Arabia is just a pebble in an ocean as the picture in her mind is much bigger.

"If Pakistanis love and view Turkish content on our television, why can't we show our serials on international platforms? The biggest example is Korean dramas, which have garnered a massive fanbase all around the world, especially among people who may not even understand the language. It's different now, Netflix and Amazon have helped change the mindset of the larger audience to digest different stories and languages," she shared.

"Whether it's about love or family drama, If you've watched TV shows from Pakistan, India, and Turkey, the core of the stories are nearly identical, just different layers of dressings and appearances."

The gamble

Odho also talked about her upcoming role in the Turkish drama Koyu Beyaz, which will premiere on TRT's new OTT platform. She revealed that although she will only make a guest appearance in the show, her experience working alongside producers in Turkey has made her more determined to drive Pakistani content to global audiences. "Turkey has a brilliant film industry, as their focus has shifted to cater to foreign viewers too. The Legend of Maula Jatt is a huge inspiration for us, the film was promoted in foreign countries and earned revenue in international currency; those are the benchmarks for future creators in Pakistan."

She felt the recent bans on films of web series are natural and part of the journey of growth in cinema. "We are going through an evolution. Part of what we do in the entertainment industry is not just producing content but engaging people with different ideas and that takes time. Anytime you're trying to push for cultural change or opening up a more progressive attitude, you will have hiccups and roadblocks but you need to tackle them well," she explained.

"If your definition of progressive is running around on television wearing a swimsuit, then that's not something even I find culturally acceptable. As they say, when in Rome, do as the Romans do. We are a diverse set of people and need to acknowledge everyone when we are conversing about evolving as a society and developing ideals."

Before concluding the talk, she gave an example of valuable content, "A few years ago I worked on a telefilm on breast cancer awareness and this was a time when people felt ashamed to even say the word, 'breast' loudly. As result, it led to many conversations about breast cancer and also helped reduce the stigma associated with it. So, rather than wasting our energy on irrelevant matters, we need to focus deeper on issues that can create an impact on our society, both in urban and rural areas." 

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