More pyaar from Sikander and Humaima

Actors take a look in on their characters at trailer launch of upcoming film ‘Dekh Magar Pyaar Say’

LAHORE:

With beautiful locations and a dreamy duo knitting the storyline together, Dekh Magar Pyaar Say (DPMS) is gearing up for an August 14 release. The trailer of the film was recently shown at a press conference along with a meet-and-greet with the lead actors Sikander Rizvi and Humaima Malick. The chemistry between the pair is what worked for them in the trailer as well as off the screen, as they posed for the myriad of cameras that surrounded them. The trailer showed that, if nothing else, the film promises visual appeal. The Express Tribune caught up with the pair to find out more about their characters.

Sikander, known as Alexandre to his circle of friends, is the entrepreneur and chef behind Karachi’s upscale restaurant Xanders. In the film, he takes up a character completely new to him and what makes it more interesting is that he retains both his name and nickname, Sikki, in the film. “When Asadul Haq called me for a screen test after an ad I featured in, I thought I was going in for another ad audition, but when he told me it was for a movie, I was taken aback [by the offer],” he said. “I thought it didn’t go too well and was surprised to get a call back from Asad.”



He shared that the script was mainly in Urdu and although he feels comfortable conversing in the language, his first time acting in and depicting the language on-screen was challenging. “They changed the script and called me back and I thought I’d be stupid to say no,” he shared. He’s unfettered by names, such as his grandmother Madam Noor Jehan and sister Sonya Jehan, which his family tree boasts of. Sonya will soon be seen in Ho Mann Jahaan, releasing later this year, about which Sikander quipped, “My sister’s doing it, so I thought I’d give it a try as well.”

Humaima was fashionably late to the press conference, dressed in Muse and looking every bit the lead actor of the film. She expressed her excitement over being part of the process of revival the film industry is undergoing. “Whether it’s Bin Roye, Ho Mann Jahaan, Wrong No or DPMS, it’s a great time to be a part of the Pakistani film industry. There’s fresh blood and new people are making films”, said Humaima.

Drawing a comparison between local cinema and Bollywood, where she was last seen in the Emraan Hashmi-starrer Raja Natwarlal, she said, “The only difference between us and them is that they’re a bigger [industry] than us … we’re equally talented.” Wrong No and Bin Roye are two films that are expected to be released in India this year, but there’s no news about DMPS making its way across the border yet. “Cinema is an art and art should be appreciated everywhere. I’d love for India to see our culture the way we grew up watching theirs,” noted Humaima. Of her character in DMPS, she revealed, “Annie is happy-go-lucky and fun-loving and has an aura of mystery surrounding her.”



The slick cinematography that has given Lahore a makeover, glamorous clothing by Hassan Sheheryar Yasin and interesting music to boot are things to watch out for in the film. But with the set of films releasing around the same time, we’ll have to wait and see if audiences extend a loving look to DPMS.

Published in The Express Tribune, July 21^st,  2015.

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