Versatility, thy name is Hina Dilpazir
While she is a raging success on TV, the actor says theatre is her first love.
While she is a raging success on TV, the actor says theatre is her first love. PHOTO: FAIZAN ISLAM/PUBLICITY
From her debut performance in Burns Road ki Nilofer to her most recent one as Momo in Bulbulay, Hina Dilpazir has gained unprecedented success and has left her imprints on the small screen.
Her work, however, knows no bounds as she has done some theatre in her career as well, with one being National Academy of Performing Arts’ (Napa) Dil Ka Kya Rang Karoon. But her current performance in ARY Digital’s Qudusi Sahab Ki Bewa, in which she is juggling the roles of 12 different characters, is by far her most impressive. In a telephonic interview with The Express Tribune, Dilpazir explains that she doesn’t work as much as people think she does and is not a workaholic — she just has too many roles assigned to her.
“It’s such a well-written script,” she says, when asked how she pulls off each character to the best of her capability. If you have watched her playing Rooh Afza, Badarqa and Shakuran, you at once be convinced of how incredibly versatile the actor is. From distinctive accents to drastically different looks, Dilpazir has mastered the art. “Before I hop onto the journey of playing a character, I sit down and sketch it. That is how I understand the role better,” she says. She adds that it’s imperative to know the role you will play in and out, before making the dive and doing justice to it.
She also talks about the difference between theatre and television. “Theatre has a limited audience and is certainly a little more difficult because emotions need to be expressed out loud and you need to know the script, word by word,” says Dilpazir. “Whereas, TV on the other hand, is a medium where even the smallest of gestures is captured by the camera.” Even after the widespread recognition she has received for her work on television, Dilpazir’s first love remains stage performance. “I prefer theatre. I simply love it,” she says.
Speaking about the Turkish drama issue which has sparked controversy lately, Dilpazir feels it can easily be warded off. “My main agenda supports the fact that only Pakistani dramas should be aired on any channel’s prime time and foreign content should co-exist but not at the prime hours,” she says in patriotic spirit, adding that our dramas will otherwise fall victim to these overpowering foreign shows and lose their purpose.
“It’s not insecurity which is making me say this; I think that thousands of people associated with these channels are affected as a result,” she says. However, she concurs with many others from the industry and feels this should be regarded as healthy competition and should in turn, encourage producers and actors to increase the quality of local dramas.
Within a short period of time, Dilpazir has won the hearts of many with her versatility, specifically her comic persona, and feels blessed to have worked with an actor such as Bushra Ansari in Annie Ki Ayegi Baraat. She regrets, however, not receiving the chance of working with the late Moin Akhtar. “I hope the drama industry will be better in 2013; today, there is a genuine desire for an artist to prove his worth on screen,” she says.
“Channels are involved in the rat race of achieving the highest ratings these days,” she adds. However, she also feels TV is a medium which should highlight moralistic stories.
Besides being involved in television and theatre, Dilpazir says there are two things she cannot live without: poetry and music. “I am a big fan of classical music and thumri,” she says, adding that she adores Roshan Ara Begum, Bade Ghulam Ali Khan, Master Madan and Begum Akhtar.
Published in The Express Tribune, December 27th, 2012.
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