Calling shots like Madiha Imam

Actor's turn to directing was long overdue

Madiha Imam Basar was invited on a YouTube podcast with Faysal Quraishi, during which she imparted details on the various dynamic aspects of her life—from her career trajectory to her intercultural marriage.

Madiha spoke on the usual transition from video jockeys to actors that female actors undergo within the local industry. "Not all VJs are actors, only some. It's honestly the magic of our producers who can spot talent on the screen; they're looking for confidence, so they wouldn't need to spend time training new faces if the latter are already familiar with the camera. That's how they are approached and casted," she observed.

Having worked for that side of the entertainment scene for over seven years, the Heer actor then related this to her own experience. "It is probable that some become VJs as a step to pursue acting, though that's not the case with me," she said. "I became a VJ because I loved talking! In terms of different topics, debate, elocution, poetry, and so on."

She then recalled failing a competition terribly then being approached by a director to be extended the opportunity to host. "I was just sixteen or seventeen. I started questioning him about the pay, and when he told me, my immediate thought was: oh, this is so much better than my pocket money!" she enthused.

Madiha marked her directorial debut with Aeena a few weeks back when she made the announcement on Instagram. However, the hesitation leading up to this milestone in her career was especially daunting, as she revealed that the first person who saw this potential in her was producer Babar Javed.

"He used to tell me this often, back in the day. He'd say, he was seeing a lot of potential for directing in me, but I was only twenty-four so I was immediately deterred," she revealed. "I'm afraid of actors, and I'd seen the ones on set. I'd just think, it's so hard to pull them out of the makeup room. I was determined to become anything but a director!" she joked.

"It's just that directors have a lot on their plate. I'd get overwhelmed by the idea of managing so many things at once," she admitted. "But when I turned thirty-three, got married, it was actually my husband who pushed me to pursue this line. He saw it in me, as well."

The Dhaani actor tied the knot with her husband Moji Basar, an Indian entrepreneur, in 2023. She expressed struggling with finding her love connection prior to this. "Some people have the potential of not being good to you. It's like when parents tell their kids not to befriend someone based on instinct alone," she began. "He came into my life from nowhere, started opening up, and before we knew it, we got married."

Madiha considers herself lucky for how the strings of fate aligned for her, but she absolutely does not recommend long-distance relationships. "It's not easy. Resolvable fights drag on for weeks all because of our phones. Long-distance is terrible," she shared. "Of course, there's the pro that distance makes the heart grow fonder, but honestly I would rather live with the person."

Despite the differences that come with an inter-cultural marriage, Madiha embraces the shared sense of community between her culture and her husband's. "If you go to places like Delhi and Bombay, people there praise the talents of our industry. They've come up to me and expressed lots of love."

On the topic of the local industry, Madiha shared, "I have never met anyone in my industry who has caused problems for me, in terms of harassment or anything else," she said, giving credit to everyone who has eased her stay in the entertainment side.

"Professionalism is also very important to me because that's how creativity thrives. One time, I walked away from a project because of this," she further said, emphasising on the importance of getting along with co-workers to build chemistry on screen. "I also don't have friends in the industry, other than mentors, because that's just how I am."