Model-turned-actress Amna Ilyas began her journey as a fashion model.
Talking about her childhood, Amna Ilyas revealed that she was only four years old when her father passed away and her mother raised her and her siblings. Amna revealed that her mother was a strong person who raised her children with confidence. As a child, Amna was a tomboy who had no inclination towards show business. Instead, she wanted to become a banker but destiny brought her in this field. Amna says that although she faced various challenges from her extended family but her mother and siblings supported her.
Her elder sisters Salma and Uzma are also models. Uzma was a shoot model but Salma was more versatile. She did various commercials and also appeared in a music video for Strings.
“My sisters quit modelling after their marriage,” Amna says.
“Our family friend Akif Ilyas was a famous photographer and a makeup artist. He took some of my pictures and the result of those pictures inspired me to take up modelling as my friends started comparing me to veteran model Zara Sheikh. I carry things well. This is how my career started and I am very happy with my modelling career. I’ve received various awards including Lux Style Awards and have proven myself as a successful model. Although my first film was ‘Good Morning Karachi’ but my first film to be released was ‘Zinda Bhaag’. After the release of this film, I get lot of critical acclaim. Media appreciated my performance and highlighted that my acting negated the mantra that models cannot be good at acting. After these ventures, I realised that I’ve an acting streak in me and I should really take it up as a career. After my initial films, I was offered some more films and roles which were not up to the mark or I was not getting adequate mileage from them, so I decided to focus on television and did item numbers in films as I wanted to test myself as a dancer and the overall experience was good. When Saqib Malik offered me ‘Baaji, I had my apprehensions. I knew it will be a multi-starrer film which also included Meera Ji who was making her comeback after a long gap. A lot of actresses fear working alongside experienced actors but I ignored these aspects and accepted this film because the role offered to me was so strong that I knew it will stand out. It is because of the role that I decided to act in this film,” she says.
Neha in ‘Baaji’ is a character of a common girl who comes out to earn for her family and pursue her dreams. Masses can relate with this character.
“I want to inspire people with my character. I like playing roles with which masses can relate to and Neha’s character fits in this category perfectly. I want people to not think me as a showpiece but consider me as an inspiration for them,” Amna says.
When Neha steps out of her home, she meets Shameera, who’s a famous star. This fim will highlight the insecurities of a super star and will also shed light on how a novice should react if an opportunity knocks at their door.
Does she accept it or refuses just so she could maintain her friendship with her favourite childhood star?
It’s a women oriented film which highlights friction between two women. Saqib Malik produced a combination of new and old Lollywood. Actresses have a limited shelf life but when that age is passed then what happens to them? Malik tactfully highlights all these aspects.
“Through ‘Baaji’, we want to tell youngsters the troubles of a glamorous life and also highlight the possible challenges faced by them,” Amna shared.
“Initially, I was scared of working with a superstar like Meera Ji because of her experience and knowledge of the cinema industry. She was making a comeback after a long time. I’ve full confidence in me and I developed an off camera chemistry with her. I made an extra effort to befriend with her. This is very important for this character. It was such an interesting experience that I can write a whole film on it. I want to say that my overall experience of working with Meera was challenging but delightful,” Amna confided.
Amna also shared how much criticism she had initially faced because of her dark complexion.
“It’s unfair to reject me on the basis of my complexion. People appreciate me on my physique but often reject me because of my complexion. It has happened not only with me but with a lot of young girls who are left behind because of their complexion. I think talent should be preferred over complexion. People especially girls send me messages highlighting the problems they faced. I think the world is changing and we should also change and accept diversity. I prefer doing story-based films. As an actress, I like Shabnam, Meera and Reema Khan. They are my inspiration. In Bollywood, I like Shabana Azmi and Vidya Balan. I like those actresses who do more acting-based work. I’ve a lot of expectations from ‘Baaji’. I get a good feeling while working for ‘Baaji’. I’m hoping that ‘Baaji’ will make history in cinema. I’m confident Malik will give a memorable film to Pakistan’s cinema industry. I hope our audience understand the film and enjoy it,” she said.
Pakistan’s film industry has grown a lot.
“I think it’s nice that Indian films are not on display and I hope it stays like this for a while. We need more screens to develop our industry. If any youngster wants to come in this industry he/she should be fully devoted, work hard and have to put his/her heart and soul in it. A youngster should eat, breathe and sleep acting if he/she wants to be successful,” she concluded.
The writer is a freelance journalist. He can be reached at [email protected] and Tweets at @KhurramZiaKhan