This is with reference to my article of July 6 “How could Ayesha Omar win at the
LSAs?” As a follow-up to the piece, I would like to quote the views of a jury member at the Lux Style Awards, who tried to explain Ayesha Omar winning the Album of the Year award:
“The jury vote has around 30 per cent weightage in deciding who gets the award. We were all keen to nominate Ayesha in the absence of good albums that year and also because the album has a few good songs and a lot of work has gone into its production, unlike the other albums that often sounded half-baked. Sajid and Zeeshan and Sajjad Ali were rated higher by the jury in all probability but let’s not forget that the public’s votes can make all the difference at the end of the day. People do not vote for excellence; they generally tend to vote for whoever they know and love for one reason or the other, as we saw at the elections. We were surprised to hear the judgment but not shocked, for the public was not going to vote for, say someone like Usman Riaz, simply because it does not know him as well, thanks to the death of our music channels and the industry at large.”
Ayesha omer
From billboards to the big screen Humaima has done it on her own
LAHORE:
Humaima Malik may have landed a Bollywood film with Sanjay Dutt and a contract with Lux as its brand ambassador in Pakistan, but her aspirations to be in the limelight were born when she was a young girl. At 14, she landed her first modeling project. Since then, there has been no looking back for the starlet. She forayed into acting and successfully worked her way up in the industry. But it wasn’t all hunky dory for Humaima.
“It was difficult because we didn’t really get permission to leave our homes,” she explains, talking about her initial days. “The competition was such that people never really allowed others to move forward.” Opportunities were scarce as there wasn’t much happening in the forefront. However, Humaima now feels that times have changed and the competition is healthy.
She claims she is a self-made woman. “I didn’t have any letter [of recommendation] or CV. Whatever I have done, I’ve done it on my own,” she says proudly. “I learnt and understood everything by myself. I now look after my family and I feel proud of it.”
Humaima, who recently hosted the Lux Style Awards (LSAs), feels that awards are a great way to encourage artists to work harder. “Awards mean a lot to artists because they allow them to grow; they also provide opportunities for artists to receive appreciation and encouragement for their work,” she says. “We need awards like Lux [LSAs] to promote and appreciate our own artists for their work and credibility.”
Bollywood, here she comes!
“I don’t know how I started to act but when I did, I found it quite interesting,” says the model-turned-actor who played the lead in Bol, which consequently opened doors for her in Bollywood. “There was less money in acting but it was a place where you had to constantly prove yourself by playing different characters.” Malik has just wrapped up her B-town projectSher, where she plays the wife of a don (Sanjay Dutt). While Sher is slated for an August release, Humaima signed three films with Vidhu Vinod Chopra, with one being Chittiyan.
“I really enjoy working in Bollywood movies. They are professionals and I am also looking forward to seeing a positive attitude towards my work in our own industry as well,” she continues. “And as far as working with Sanjay Dutt is concerned, it was an amazing chance for a young actor to work with such a legend.”
Humaima says she is quite picky when it comes down to the roles she plays.
“I always want to do something different and roles that will be remembered by my audience and fans,” she explains. “I am very selective in choosing my characters and a unique script is my priority.” She adds that she wants people to see that she is a versatile actor.
With or without Wasim Akram?
Malik has been quite guarded about her personal life. While sources told The Express Tribunethat Humaima was approached by cricketing legend Wasim Akram and that she declined “due to the age difference”, the star denies any connection. “At the beginning of my career, I would panic over rumours and wouldn’t know how to react to them. But with the passage of time, this seems like a part of my job,” she says. “Now, I don’t pay any heed; I treat them with ignorance.” Akram is 47, while Humaima says she is 24 years old.
Did you know? Emraan Hashmi, Humaima paired together for Shaatir?
If rumours are to be believed, Bollywood’s serial kisser Emraan Hashmi has expressed his wish to work with Pakistani beauty Humaima Malik, in a movie tentatively titledShaatir.
Rumours had been flying about casting Humaima for the Kunal Deshmukh film. Indian news agency IANS quoted a source as saying: “Humaima has been approached, but nothing is official right now. A screen test has been conducted. UTV and Kunal are looking for a fresh face for Emraan and if things fall into place, in all probability she [Humaima] will step into the project.”
The model-turned-actor has already gone through an extensive screen test. Humaima has impressed everyone, including director Kunal Deshmukh.
“The producers as well as the director won’t be ready to talk about casting her yet, since the nitty-gritty of the contract is being worked out. And they don’t want to jump the gun before signing her formally, since she is from Pakistan and no one knows what kind of issues might crop up,” the insider adds.
Deshmukh says, “It’s too early to talk about it. I can only reveal to you that Humaima has indeed (screen) tested with us.”
Another source says, “The film will bring forth a fresh pairing. Since there are hardly any actresses left, who have available dates, Kunal decided to cast a fresh face. He had seen Humaima work in Bol and was very impressed.”
The role was reportedly offered to Priyanka Chopra and Jacqueline Fernandez first, but they couldn’t take up the project due to date constraints.
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