I wanted to be Lady Diana'

Pakistani actor Hareem Farooq recently sat down for a candid chat with a local television channel, and if you thought you knew her, think again. "I wanted to be Lady Diana," she confessed, her eyes twinkling with the memory of that childhood fantasy. But it wasn't just a casual admiration for the late Princess of Wales; young Hareem was convinced there was a royal connection. "I used to say to my family, 'I have a feeling we come from royalty, just tell me honestly. I am royal deep down'."

But, as most of us do, Hareem had to come back to reality—thanks to some level-headed advice from her parents. "My parents used to tell me to take a seat and calm down," she added with a laugh.

"Then I thought, if there's no royal blood, then I want to be Mother Teresa." But, as she candidly admits, that dream was short-lived. "I realised to become Mother Teresa I'd have to give up a lot of my lifestyle, so I gave up on that dream." It's hard not to chuckle at her honesty—after all, who wouldn't hesitate at the thought of giving up modern comforts?

Despite her ever-evolving dreams, one thing that remained constant for Hareem was her love for life and her determination to enjoy it. Acting wasn't a childhood passion; it was more about the freedom and fun that she craved. "I didn't know I wanted to be an actor, I just knew I wanted to have fun and enjoy life. You would hear everyone saying that you should have responsibilities when you're older, and I used to wonder that yes, that's right, but why is everyone so serious about it all the time?" Hareem mused. Her outlook on life remains refreshingly simple: live fully, worry less. "All I knew, and it's something I'm sure about to this day, is that I want to enjoy life. Money comes and goes, but you should want to live life to the fullest."