A woman with a nostalgia for the creative days of Pakistani drama industry, an admirer of indigenous culture and a lover of classical films and music, actress Huma Nawab is someone we remember for having a unique, husky voice, well-suited to the strong characters she would play in dramatic works like ‘Nijaat’, ‘Chand Grahan’, ‘Aahat’, ‘Hawayen’ and ‘Farar’.
This fine actress of Pakistan television started her career in the mid-80s with “Silsila” and continued working till 1999, after which she went to America. However, to the happiness of many, she made a comeback and ever-since then, has been working prolifically, some of her noted projects being “Yaqeen Ka Safar”, “Deedan”, “Surkh Chandni” and “Mein na Janoon”. We caught up with the veteran actress and asked her a few questions, which are as follows:
What inclined you to make a comeback in the drama industry?
It was in 1999 that I left media and went abroad. In the year 2012, I came back to Pakistan, fulfilling my mother’s wish who wanted to be buried next to her husband after being diagnosed with blood cancer. I went back after a week or so and returned in 2014 on Tahira Wasti’s advice who suggested me to step again in the drama industry, for quite a lot of work was passionately being done back in those days. I did not work extensively and went back again. After these countless errands to and from Pakistan, I finally settled back in 2015 and did a soap and the work began from then onwards.
What do you miss the most from your days spent at PTV?
Although I do not consider myself in a position to say anything, but I do miss a couple of things. What worries me the most is the content. I’m not sure whether it’s the production houses which demand such material or the audience. I believe that the viewers are not to be blamed. You can’t expect someone to enjoy daal chawal on a daily basis. Same goes for television content. Unending scenes of death, domestic violence and marriage in every drama serial cannot attract the audience for long. Greats like Haseena Moin and Asghar Nadeem Syed never showed lavish weddings in their serials. One more thing that I miss is the rehearsal which went into making drama serials. We used to have rehearsals extending over almost a month, of which there is no concept now. I miss Sahira Kazmi too, and not only as a brilliant actress, but as a progressive director as well who came up with a totally new vision.
‘Although I do not consider myself in a position to say anything, but I do miss a couple of things. What worries me the most is the content. I’m not sure whether it’s the production houses which demand such material or the audience. I believe that the viewers are not to be blamed. You can’t expect someone to enjoy daal chawal on a daily basis’
You mostly did issue-based serials in your young age such as ‘Hawayen’, ‘Nijaat’ and ‘Chand Grahan’. What difference do you find between issue-based serials of the past and the present as far as creativity is concerned?
“Nijaat” was funded by Johns Hopkins University which would give funds to the third world countries to make projects on social issues. “Nijaat” was one of the results, based on over-population. As far as creativity is concerned, we had Shahid Kazmi as one of the best and highly educated creative writers who would pen down issue-based serials, one of them being “Aasaib” in which I played a young girl, representing all those kids whose parents scare them from certain things on an illogical basis, turning them into mentally retarded people. I played a girl who gets afraid of a tree outside her room’s window, the fear having been inculcated by her own parents. Such content isn’t there anymore. I would repeat that our focus is on scenes of deaths and weddings. At times, while reading scripts, I feel as if I have done the scene before. Such is the repetition. I would request PEMRA to exclude death scenes, for I don’t buy the view that the viewers demand depressing scenarios. They cannot be so sadistic while they already read such stuff in the newspapers on a daily basis. From my own plays, however, I prefer “Surkh Chandni” which I believe is on a genuine serious problem of the society.
How has your experience been of working in Mehreen Jabbar’s projects such as “Farar” and “Dhoop May Sawan”?
It was 17 years ago that I worked with Mimi. It was a team-work. We had actors like Marina Khan and Sania Saeed and Azra Baber as the writer who has now shifted to Houston. That team-work is missing now, and no matter how hard good directors try, they cannot produce the desired results. Another female director that I admire and respect a lot is Saima Waseem. I have really enjoyed working with her.
What do you do when you are not acting?
I like my own company. I’ve had my share of youth and friends. Being in solitude is something that I love now because I believe that it’s in solitude that you are closest to God. At times like these, I pray to Him, asking for happiness and blessings. I prefer staying at home.
The writer is a freelance journalist and can be reached at [email protected]