The allure of Ayyan
She’s bold, blunt and extremely beautiful, From gracing ramps to spicing up billboards, her talent knows no bounds.
I sat in the movie theatre watching what turned out to be a huge disappointment, the Kareena Kapoor starrer Heroine. It was halfway through the tedious film that my mobile phone started ringing. It was none other than the delectable Ayyan, whose face you see on just about every other billboard these days. After my week-long attempts at setting up an interview, she had finally responded. Trying not to cause too much of a commotion, I managed to make my way out of the crowded theatre, muttering ‘sorry’ and ‘excuse me’ as I tripped over people’s feet in my hurry to receive her call.
As soon as I answered, she shot out a question:
“Where are you?”
“Watching a movie,” I said.
“I hope you are not watching Barfi because it’s a stupid film,” she said, shooting down one of my recent favourites in a passing statement. Before I could respond with a defence, she shot off one-liner after one-liner until I found myself agreeing to a breakfast meeting early the very next day.
I was there five minutes prior to our appointment and, after almost an hour and a half of patiently waiting, I saw a stunning woman walk into the restaurant premises, wearing a pair of skinny jeans and a low neck shirt. She was an early morning treat for all the waiters and diners alike. She humbly apologised for making me wait and then we ordered breakfast.
I’ve never actually interviewed a model before, and all the stereotypes of a high-and-mighty ramp queen whizzed through my mind. They’re haughty, full of themselves and judgmental, I had been told. And so when she surgically cut opened a fried fish to get to an oil free piece of pure protein, my own full-of-fries plate made me feel very guilty indeed. Am I being judged for my admittedly unhealthy diet, I wondered.
But the moment she started speaking, I realised that she was just another typical Pakistani woman, upset at the country’s condition but still utterly in love with it. She cusses and cajoles and her occasional use of saucy Punjabi metaphors makes her as much fun to listen to as she is to look at.
“When you are excellent at something you don’t need to prove anything to anyone,” she says as she talks about her initial struggle to break into the modelling scene; a process that had had more downs than ups and left her feeling pretty depressed at times. Eventually though, she made it big in an industry that, to an outsider like me, seems to be made up of factions, fake accents and even faker personalities. Just like something out of a low-budget remake of Madhur Bhandarkar’s Fashion.
For her part, Ayyan claims she has taken no shortcuts to success.
“By the grace of Allah I never had to socialise and kiss up to people to make it to where I am. I have always trusted my talent and my family has always supported me,” she says. And her trust isn’t misplaced as, despite being something of an outsider to the industry, she has built one of the most diverse portfolios in the business. Appearing on the ramp, in print and billboard campaigns as well as TV commercials, she’s sometimes seen riding a motorbike across the streets of Lahore for a Honda commercial or wearing a hijab for the Sunsilk campaign. And all this at the self-declared age of nineteen.
“What I have done in four years, most people don’t achieve in fifteen,” says a self-assured Ayyan who frequently talks about the blessings of God and says she hates the status-conscious fashion industry but ironically doesn’t hesitate to classify others when elaborating on her success and sometimes even the failure of some of her contemporaries.
“Had I been a B-grade model, I would have gone for something else and opened a fashion outlet by now. But like all the truly successful people in the world I would like to be known for what I am best at, like Cindy Crawford for her modelling and Tom Cruise for his acting,” she says.
At the same time, unlike many big names of the modelling industry like Vinnie, Aaminah Haq and Nadia Hussain, she doesn’t plan to switch gears and try out acting. Despite some major offers from film and television producers she currently wants to focus on modelling and modelling alone.
“The best people in the film and drama industry have asked me to work with them but I am just waiting for a really desirable project before I sign anything,” she says, counting off the names of people who have approached her with offers.
“If something great comes along then I might go for it, but until then I am earning much more through modelling anyway,” she says. “If someone really has charm then it would reflect everywhere be it TV, film or ramps. Charm is in your personality and the medium doesn’t really matter.”
Another thing that doesn’t seem to matter to her is criticism.
“What the critics say doesn’t really matter. Sometimes they are right and sometimes wrong. At the end of the day you should respect their opinion but do what’s best for you.” Still I persist in asking whether the lack of acclaim from her peers hurts, if even just a little. Ayyan sticks to a more diplomatic answer initially but eventually speaks her heart. “People praise whoever is approachable,” she says at last, summing up her feelings in one neat little sentence.
It’s true that the industry and the critics have not been that kind to Ayyan. Despite a number of campaigns of all kinds, several brand ambassadorships (most recently of Magnum ice cream) and numerous nominations, she hasn’t received a single Lux Style Award. There’s no way that can’t hurt, I think to myself. And then I put the question to her.
“People out there watching are not deaf and dumb,” she retorts. “My work speaks for itself and the recognition that my work has given me is above and beyond any award.”
Despite what she says, there have been some incidents that would be difficult for even the most thick-skinned of us to absorb. One such incident was at the launch ceremony of Magnum ice cream, when host Adnan Malik mentioned every brand ambassador apart from Ayyan. It was a gaffe that was noticed by all in attendance, and I wonder out loud how it made her feel. “It doesn’t really affect me,” says a concerned-looking Ayyan. “The world knows who I am and, while Adnan was the host of the event, I was the brand ambassador for Magnum. People know me and I don’t need anyone to introduce me in front of an audience.”
It’s a typical Ayyan answer; full of confidence and self-assuredness. Still, I can’t help but sense a little sadness in those eyes.
I then switch the topic to one of the most unusual campaigns she did. Given that so many of her shoots sometimes border on the risqué, what prompted her to do the Sunsilk shoot which had her covered from head to toe? “I’d been wanting to do Sunsilk since I was sixteen!” she coos. “And I really looked sexy in the hijab,” she says, blushing for the first (and only) time during the interview.
Ayyan’s arrival on the fashion scene almost four to five years ago gave a lot of new models the encouragement to make a name for themselves in the fashion industry. Back then, only a few people had a virtual monopoly on the industry, but then a string of new talent sprung onto the scene. So what does she think of the new crop of models, I ask.
“You know what’s really sad is that we have got so much talent in the industry but most of the people who are given opportunities are not deserving,” says a rather disappointed Ayyan. She believes that while there is no dearth of talent in Pakistan, only a handful of people are able to network and take a shortcut to success, which is not only bad for their own careers but also for the fashion industry at large.
“The biggest problem with the fashion industry today is that it is very approachable,” she says. “Becoming a model is so easy now that it’s not even funny, and that is why we are not seeing any remarkably impressive girls coming into the industry.”
Given that our time was coming to an end, I thought I’d ask a question that I, and possibly most Pakistani men, wanted an answer to: What does Ayyan look for in a man? And who are her top five Pakistani men?
Seemingly puzzled at the change of direction, she took some time, consulted a few friends over the phone and narrowed down the number of people from five to two and, after thinking even more, refused to comment at all.
“But what I would really look for in a desirable male is that he should be stable, loyal, understanding and well maintained.” Pausing for a second, she continues, “and of course he has to be someone who dies for me.” Not literally I hope.
So her diehard fans (pun intended) now have a guideline to follow and, if you’re one of them, it would be a good idea to hit the gym since our Ayyan is a workout fanatic of the first order. Even then, it may all be an exercise in futility since, right at the tail end of the interview, she hints that there may already be a special someone.
“There is someone who is really close to me but I can’t take any names,” she says. And just like that, the interview is over. With all eyes in the restaurant following her, Ayyan thanks me, gets up and walks through the door, off to her next shoot. The rest of us are left wondering just who that ‘someone’ is.
Published in The Express Tribune, Sunday Magazine, October 14th, 2012.
As soon as I answered, she shot out a question:
“Where are you?”
“Watching a movie,” I said.
“I hope you are not watching Barfi because it’s a stupid film,” she said, shooting down one of my recent favourites in a passing statement. Before I could respond with a defence, she shot off one-liner after one-liner until I found myself agreeing to a breakfast meeting early the very next day.
I was there five minutes prior to our appointment and, after almost an hour and a half of patiently waiting, I saw a stunning woman walk into the restaurant premises, wearing a pair of skinny jeans and a low neck shirt. She was an early morning treat for all the waiters and diners alike. She humbly apologised for making me wait and then we ordered breakfast.
I’ve never actually interviewed a model before, and all the stereotypes of a high-and-mighty ramp queen whizzed through my mind. They’re haughty, full of themselves and judgmental, I had been told. And so when she surgically cut opened a fried fish to get to an oil free piece of pure protein, my own full-of-fries plate made me feel very guilty indeed. Am I being judged for my admittedly unhealthy diet, I wondered.
But the moment she started speaking, I realised that she was just another typical Pakistani woman, upset at the country’s condition but still utterly in love with it. She cusses and cajoles and her occasional use of saucy Punjabi metaphors makes her as much fun to listen to as she is to look at.
“When you are excellent at something you don’t need to prove anything to anyone,” she says as she talks about her initial struggle to break into the modelling scene; a process that had had more downs than ups and left her feeling pretty depressed at times. Eventually though, she made it big in an industry that, to an outsider like me, seems to be made up of factions, fake accents and even faker personalities. Just like something out of a low-budget remake of Madhur Bhandarkar’s Fashion.
For her part, Ayyan claims she has taken no shortcuts to success.
“By the grace of Allah I never had to socialise and kiss up to people to make it to where I am. I have always trusted my talent and my family has always supported me,” she says. And her trust isn’t misplaced as, despite being something of an outsider to the industry, she has built one of the most diverse portfolios in the business. Appearing on the ramp, in print and billboard campaigns as well as TV commercials, she’s sometimes seen riding a motorbike across the streets of Lahore for a Honda commercial or wearing a hijab for the Sunsilk campaign. And all this at the self-declared age of nineteen.
“What I have done in four years, most people don’t achieve in fifteen,” says a self-assured Ayyan who frequently talks about the blessings of God and says she hates the status-conscious fashion industry but ironically doesn’t hesitate to classify others when elaborating on her success and sometimes even the failure of some of her contemporaries.
“Had I been a B-grade model, I would have gone for something else and opened a fashion outlet by now. But like all the truly successful people in the world I would like to be known for what I am best at, like Cindy Crawford for her modelling and Tom Cruise for his acting,” she says.
At the same time, unlike many big names of the modelling industry like Vinnie, Aaminah Haq and Nadia Hussain, she doesn’t plan to switch gears and try out acting. Despite some major offers from film and television producers she currently wants to focus on modelling and modelling alone.
“The best people in the film and drama industry have asked me to work with them but I am just waiting for a really desirable project before I sign anything,” she says, counting off the names of people who have approached her with offers.
“If something great comes along then I might go for it, but until then I am earning much more through modelling anyway,” she says. “If someone really has charm then it would reflect everywhere be it TV, film or ramps. Charm is in your personality and the medium doesn’t really matter.”
Another thing that doesn’t seem to matter to her is criticism.
“What the critics say doesn’t really matter. Sometimes they are right and sometimes wrong. At the end of the day you should respect their opinion but do what’s best for you.” Still I persist in asking whether the lack of acclaim from her peers hurts, if even just a little. Ayyan sticks to a more diplomatic answer initially but eventually speaks her heart. “People praise whoever is approachable,” she says at last, summing up her feelings in one neat little sentence.
It’s true that the industry and the critics have not been that kind to Ayyan. Despite a number of campaigns of all kinds, several brand ambassadorships (most recently of Magnum ice cream) and numerous nominations, she hasn’t received a single Lux Style Award. There’s no way that can’t hurt, I think to myself. And then I put the question to her.
“People out there watching are not deaf and dumb,” she retorts. “My work speaks for itself and the recognition that my work has given me is above and beyond any award.”
Despite what she says, there have been some incidents that would be difficult for even the most thick-skinned of us to absorb. One such incident was at the launch ceremony of Magnum ice cream, when host Adnan Malik mentioned every brand ambassador apart from Ayyan. It was a gaffe that was noticed by all in attendance, and I wonder out loud how it made her feel. “It doesn’t really affect me,” says a concerned-looking Ayyan. “The world knows who I am and, while Adnan was the host of the event, I was the brand ambassador for Magnum. People know me and I don’t need anyone to introduce me in front of an audience.”
It’s a typical Ayyan answer; full of confidence and self-assuredness. Still, I can’t help but sense a little sadness in those eyes.
I then switch the topic to one of the most unusual campaigns she did. Given that so many of her shoots sometimes border on the risqué, what prompted her to do the Sunsilk shoot which had her covered from head to toe? “I’d been wanting to do Sunsilk since I was sixteen!” she coos. “And I really looked sexy in the hijab,” she says, blushing for the first (and only) time during the interview.
Ayyan’s arrival on the fashion scene almost four to five years ago gave a lot of new models the encouragement to make a name for themselves in the fashion industry. Back then, only a few people had a virtual monopoly on the industry, but then a string of new talent sprung onto the scene. So what does she think of the new crop of models, I ask.
“You know what’s really sad is that we have got so much talent in the industry but most of the people who are given opportunities are not deserving,” says a rather disappointed Ayyan. She believes that while there is no dearth of talent in Pakistan, only a handful of people are able to network and take a shortcut to success, which is not only bad for their own careers but also for the fashion industry at large.
“The biggest problem with the fashion industry today is that it is very approachable,” she says. “Becoming a model is so easy now that it’s not even funny, and that is why we are not seeing any remarkably impressive girls coming into the industry.”
Given that our time was coming to an end, I thought I’d ask a question that I, and possibly most Pakistani men, wanted an answer to: What does Ayyan look for in a man? And who are her top five Pakistani men?
Seemingly puzzled at the change of direction, she took some time, consulted a few friends over the phone and narrowed down the number of people from five to two and, after thinking even more, refused to comment at all.
“But what I would really look for in a desirable male is that he should be stable, loyal, understanding and well maintained.” Pausing for a second, she continues, “and of course he has to be someone who dies for me.” Not literally I hope.
So her diehard fans (pun intended) now have a guideline to follow and, if you’re one of them, it would be a good idea to hit the gym since our Ayyan is a workout fanatic of the first order. Even then, it may all be an exercise in futility since, right at the tail end of the interview, she hints that there may already be a special someone.
“There is someone who is really close to me but I can’t take any names,” she says. And just like that, the interview is over. With all eyes in the restaurant following her, Ayyan thanks me, gets up and walks through the door, off to her next shoot. The rest of us are left wondering just who that ‘someone’ is.
Published in The Express Tribune, Sunday Magazine, October 14th, 2012.