Like all good actors, Aamina Sheikh is a chameleon. Her strong, striking face exudes both resilience and quiet simplicity in Pakistani soaps like Maat and Shikkan (now playing on Zee Zindagi) and yet when she wants to play a global citizen, she transforms herself in a second into a woman who drips effortless pizzazz.
Born in New York, and brought up in Karachi and Riyadh, Sheikh is today an established Pakistani actor whose career took off with the 2008 telefilm Baarish Mein Deewar. Indian fans avidly followed her turn as a sacrificing elder sister in Maat and are now watching her play the poised Zeb in Shikkan. In an exclusive interview all the way from Pakistan, she tells us about her life and work
Tell is about Shikkan..
I play the role of Zeb, a headstrong girl, passionate about social work and unafraid of pushing boundaries to make a difference. At home, she is one of the two daughters to her loving and concerned parents. She has a love-hate relationship with her younger sister. Zeb doesn’t always take the younger sister seriously, she sometimes bullies her, teases her and just takes liberties with her, for fun. As they get older though, the younger one starts retaliating and gets the better of Zeb and they get tangled in various situations which unravel over the course of the serial revealing the depth and evolution of their relationship.
The script is always the main factor that influences my decision to take up a project. Writer Sameera Fazal, director Sheherzad Sheikh and I discussed the nuances of this role and it was their vision and unfaltering belief that brought Zeb to life.
Zeb is a complex character…
As Zeb’s character progresses, she becomes more and more layered and complex. She starts off as an incredibly fun person with high energy but as we move on to the second half of the serial, the burden of the situations around her gets the better of her and she caves in. It is this transition that was very essential to the story and needed to be dealt with very sensitively. So it was a path that both the director and I treaded very carefully.
There is now a tangible cultural exchange between India and Pakistan..
Yes, I think this exchange was long overdue and we’re all very lucky to be a part of it and for it to be happening at a time when we are working in the industry. I do think a road has opened up for exciting possibilities for further creative collaborations. Really looking forward to this evolution. I visited Mumbai during the MAMI festival back in October 2012 for the premiere of Josh, a film that I was a part of. It was a beautiful and a very memorable experience.
What is the feedback you have got from Indian fans?
Amazing feedback! Very warm and humbling and the audience makes us feel so appreciated and loved that it gives us continuous encouragement and we are so grateful. I am looking forward to working in wonderful films globally and hopefully in India too.
Pakistani stories have a great deal of realism and are issue based…
Almost every project and character that I’ve done has been very carefully and thoughtfully chosen. It has always been important for me to challenge myself, to take on a role that is different from previous work and that adds versatility and depth to my portfolio. Therefore, they are all products of careful consideration, passion, love and hard work. Each character had nuances that I thoroughly enjoyed.
Aasman Chu Lay, for instance was a Women’s Day special and simply learning to drive and handle a rickshaw on the busiest streets of Karachi was such an exhilarating experience. I remember passengers getting on the rickshaw and telling me to take them to their destination, not realising that we were filming and that I was acting! This was very reassuring and affirmed the believability that we were hoping to achieve.
Being an independent woman is a brave thing especially in the subcontinent. Who do you attribute your success to?
Education, travel, exposure, a bit of stubbornness to not conform to what is, to dare, to risk, to do, support from loved ones. All these factors empower me to be who I am.
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Reema Moudgil works for The New Indian Express, Bangalore, is the author of Perfect Eight, the editor of Chicken Soup for the Soul-Indian Women, an artist, a former RJ and a mother. She dreams of a cottage of her own that opens to a garden and where she can write more books, paint, listen to music and just be silent with her cats