Daily Times

Kaif Ghaznavi is one of the finest actresses of Pakistan, who may not appear in every other serial, but definitely leaves a mark through the selective work she does, an example being Hum TV’s ‘Sang-e-Marmar’.

The actress did her BDA from the National College of Arts and MFA from California College of Arts, hence fully educating herself in the fields of arts before stepping into a creative profession. Ghaznavi, whose unique name was given to her by her mother, started her acting career with a musical theatre based on “Manto Kay Afsanay”, the screenplay for which was written by a notable dramatist, Saji Gul in whose television projects she also performed later on. Daily Times caught up with the theatre and television actress to ask her a few questions, which are as follows:

Which of these comes from your heart; television acting, theatre performance, singing or teaching?

Singing, I believe. Music responds to me from within. I respond to it, both empirically as well as internally. My voice has the power to create octaves for me when I need to be heard and it goes silent on me as well when I need to just be with myself. It can make me happy and sad, elated and depressed. It lives within me.

You have acted in the works of very selective writers such as Saji Gul, Bee Gul, Faseeh Bari Khan and Mustafa Afridi. Is that deliberate or your good luck?

Perhaps, choice and good luck both played a parallel role. I do believe in working on scripts, which resonate with my beliefs and understanding of society and what it needs from me as an individual personality. If the character doesn’t speak back to me and I can’t visualise her during the reading session, I can’t perform her. The writers you have mentioned have the power to bring their characters to life and mind you, it’s not easy to internalise them. Some of my characters stay with me for a few months after the shoot is done. Choosing to live such alternate realities is very exciting for me. It’s a challenge, it’s a high, it’s someone other than who you are; exploring her odds, gestures, life in general. It’s like I am in a candy shop. I love candy!

Considering your refined way of speaking Urdu, how important do you think is Urdu language for us in the current times and how much effective can theatre and television be in this regard?

All languages are beautiful. Whichever language one is familiar with, I believe one must speak it beautifully. It doesn’t require too much effort to correct one’s pronunciations, vocabulary, and grammar to create a pleasant expression. Urdu is a gorgeous language full of romance and history of diverse cultures coming together to become one form of communication. I believe if we employ it in its true essence, we may one day again learn to be patient and accepting. Television reaches to a vast audience who are homemakers, nurturers and child groomers. If the content that reaches them has weak language dynamics, think of how many get affected indirectly with bad grammar usage and improper vocabulary access. Theatre on the other hand still has some control over their content and language. It’s still a small community and those invited or are interested to see it, can access the high standard of language preferred by the artists involved.

Now that you will be acting as the HOD of Media Studies at a university, what kind of generation do you wish to bring up? Have you formulated any specific objectives?

For now, nothing is concrete. I have some ideas that deal with introducing critical thinking. I am quite alarmed to see the young generation becoming myopic and tunnel visioned. I mean they have great ideas and energy to put things out there for everyone to see, appreciate and be wow-ed by. But there is a certain lack of practicality. Theoretically they are sound and artistic but ‘How’ to physically realise their visions in something tangible is what they are struggling with. It’s like there is a huge chasm between the practical and the theoretical. Identifying with this was the first step. Now perhaps we can together come up with solutions, ways, methods to make ‘happening’ more fluid and accessible.

Urdu is a gorgeous language full of romance and history of diverse cultures coming together to become one form of communication. I believe if we employ it in its true essence, we may one day again learn to be patient and accepting. Television reaches to a vast audience who are homemakers, nurturers and child groomers

If you were to write a story yourself, what genre would it be?

All the genres of trade introduced by Jack.

Tell us about your future projects.

For now on a personal level, I am enjoying being a mother to my 17 months old daughter. This position of Head of Media Sciences with Iqra University has a lot of responsibility and I am very excited about it as well. Going back to Academia perhaps was in the cards and I intend to enjoy it as much as possible. On a cultural level however, Bunvat Festival 2019 is also on its way to being realised in December. We have some exciting collaborations taking place and I am enjoying seeing all of it unwind and reveal itself to me. Bunvat is a cultural festival celebrating theatre, dance, music and recitals with Urdu as its main focus. We try to incorporate content, which is original and informs the literature of Urdu. Bunvat 2019 will be held at PACC in the fourth week of December. I would urge people to attend the festival as it deals with some very compelling performances.

With which writer and director do you wish to work with but still haven’t gained the opportunity?

Sometimes writers can come up with great stuff if they are left to their freedom and thoughts. Dictations can kill creativity like nothing else. So, I leave that door open and not am specific. As for directors, Farooq Rind is someone I aspire to work with as an actor. I enjoy his vision and deconstruction of content. He has a fresh take on his content. Having said that, working with anyone is also about the role that is being offered. But I must mention here, the duo that I would enjoy working with again is that of Faseeh Bari and Mazhar Moin. The marriage of dark humour and cultural norms is so beautifully handled and articulated. Their characters are full of life and abjectness.

The writer is a freelance journalist and can be reached at m.ali_aquarius85@yahoo.com