Big screen and even bigger stints

Mathira has three Pakistani films in the pipeline slated to release around Eidul Fitr next year

KARACHI: With a string of local films hitting the silver screen in the country, the golden age of Pakistani cinema is making a sure-fire comeback. As television actors make inroads into the film industry, VJ-actor Mathira also seems to be game for proving her film acting spurs. With three projects already in the pipeline, Mathira talks to us about teaming up with Pakistani filmmakers for the films that are slated to release next year.

Mathira shared that one of her films, Moammar Rana’s Sikander, is in pre-production phase and will hit the floors in Karachi after Muharram. The movie, which revolves around the underworld, will see her play a villainous role.

But the diva doesn’t want to limit herself when it comes to the characters she depicts, as she’ll also portray a lead role in Sangeeta’s upcoming romantic movie. “I’m playing one of the two female leads opposite Danish Taimoor in the film,” she said about the yet-untitled project. Based on a love triangle, “it’s a love story and shows how love can transform into obsession.”

The starlet will also be seen in a film by Shamoon Abbasi, the storyline of which is similar to Rana’s Sikander. It will take a look at the dark and gritty happenings in the underworld. All three films are slated to release around Eidul Fitr next year, as “that’s the time when films make [the most] business in the country.”

Reposing faith in Pakistani cinema, Mathira feels the need to serve the local entertainment industry before all else. Although she admitted that she has certain Bollywood projects lined up, she feels it’s important to establish one’s career in one’s own country. “I believe you should start from your country, work harder in your home, and only then can Bollywood happen,” she stated.

Mathira wants to develop the same star power as Salman Khan. “Look at him. He’s not a great actor or dancer, but when he comes on the stage or the screen, he overpowers everything else.” Her success mantra is that the work of an artist rivets the audiences’ attention more than anything else.

With motherhood occupying much of her time, Mathira has been revelling in its joys as her son Aahil turns one. As her son has learnt how to walk, life at home is just as busy as it is on the professional front. “When he began walking, it seemed as if I was handling a car without breaks. When he started to run, he became even more difficult to handle.”

A doting mother, Mathira feels family always takes precedence over work. “I won’t lie. When my baby was born, I was made to cancel my Bollywood projects. It wasn’t an easy decision but it was worth every moment,” she confessed. “I decided to back out from those films and they got others in my place,” she added. “Film projects may come and go but one’s family life must remain constant.”

Published in The Express Tribune, September 30^th, 2015.

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