Yashma Gill opens up on being 'typecast,' law of attraction, negative portrayal of 'modern women'

Actor told all in a recent sit-down on a talk show

In a candid conversation on The Talk Talk Show, Yashma Gill opened up about her journey from childhood dreams to becoming a versatile actor in the Pakistani entertainment industry. With a sprinkle of humour and profound insights, Yashma shared her experiences, conquering fears, and the nuances of her acting career.

A self-admitted talker, Yashma defended her gift of the gab by stating, "I talk good stuff." However, later on in the interview, she joked about how her friends say that she has a tendency to drag her stories out. Known for her dynamic roles on television, she admitted that acting was always her dream. "I always wanted to be an actress, but I never thought I'd get permission from home, or if I'd be able to do it, or if I was capable enough, or if I had resources. In that sense, it was accidental. Call it the law of attraction, when you think about something," she revealed.

The star went on to share a remarkable anecdote about her journey. Yashma recounted how she used to dream about having a house by the beach. Remarkably, she manifested this dream into reality and now resides in a beautiful Emaar property. "It's like a self-fulfilling prophecy. What you desire, you set yourself up for subconsciously," she explained, emphasising the importance of envisioning one's goals. However, the star also acknowledged, "I used to wonder what a fancy life it would be. Yes, it is fancy, but there's a lot of 'khwari' as well."

Despite her achievements, Yashma confessed to having her share of fears. "I'm a very good swimmer, but I'm scared of water," she chuckled. She recounted a memorable incident during her time studying in Australia when her friends convinced her to go cliff diving. "By that point, I didn't know I had a phobia of heights," she recalled. Everyone else took the plunge, but Yashma remained frozen, even when a friend tried to push her. It was a Chinese swimmer who ultimately helped her out, but the fear lingered. "He went in rolling because I let his hand go at the last minute," she shared. Despite this initial setback, Yashma didn't let her fears deter her and continued to challenge herself, attempting the same, albeit without success, a second and third time.

Yashma's passion for acting became evident as she discussed her career. "When I became an actress, I started liking my work because I realised it is giving me a platform where I'm able to express myself," she said. Her inspiration to become an actor stemmed from watching Bollywood films in her childhood, with favourites like Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge and Kuch Kuch Hota Hai.

Addressing a question about being associated with negative characters, Yashma offered valuable insights into the world of Pakistani entertainment. She explained how a misconception often leads to modern-looking actors being cast as rich characters with negative traits. "I think I'd come from Australia. There is a misconception in our field that if a woman is a little modern, dresses in modern clothes or talks in a modern way, give her a rich character. And, in our scripts, rich girls are often portrayed as negative," shared Yashma.

She continued to highlight, "In the beginning when I got offers, I thought that I want to be an actress, I should take what I get. I didn't know what a soap or serial was, or about negative or positive [characters]. I've learned with time that our audience doesn't see good or bad acting, they see good or bad characters." She added, "I said yes to the negative role and after that, I think you tend to get typecast."

Even so, Yashma shared that she has always done her best to bring a form of diversity to her characters. "I've always tried to play every negative character differently," she revealed. "One would have a hurt-driven strategy, one would be a lover, one I'd play a little psychotic. With positive [characters] you don't have that much of a margin." She opened up about being offered Azmaish and how she ended up choosing the role of Shiza. "When I was offered this drama with Kinza...when I was offered the positive girl, Kinza wasn't in at the time, I read the script and thought, 'I want to do Shiza,' because reading that I could feel like it's acting that feeds my soul. I would rather go for a character that has more margin than a character the audience would like."

Yashma also expressed her desire to distance herself from negative roles in recent years. "Now, this year, I've started telling everyone that I don't want to do negative characters," she highlighted. "I've done a few positive [roles], perhaps they didn't register as much. I'm doing this drama Khel. When I was offered that drama, I was told that one girl is positive and one is negative. I said I didn't want the negative role. They asked me to read the script. Before I say no, I feel like I should have a look a what I am turning down, I don't want to watch it on TV later and regret my decision. So when I was reading it, I called my director and producer and said, 'I would love to do this girl but will you let me do a few things?' They agreed."

The host interjected, bringing up another example of when she'd followed a similar practice. Yashma thanked the director for trusting her with the creative decision. She continued to share, "In Khel, the character I'm playing, Saman, was written to be a proper rude girl. But now, if you go and see the drama and read the comments, most people sympathise with Saman because I made her cute, I had two of her scenes written in a way where there's background regarding her separation anxiety from when her mother leaves which is why she's obsessed with the guy...When you give the audience a background, the perception towards your actions changes...Every action is a reaction to something. When the audience is aware of where the chain is starting from, and that starting point can create sympathy, you get sympathy."

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