KARACHI: We found Maria Wasti as that woman who can sneer, out-struck and stare down any man in the Industry. The most powerful thing about her persona is the unabashed pleasure she takes in her own skin: its beauty, its woman power, its versatility. In an age when roles and styles morph as quickly as computer images, she’s a shape-shifting virtuoso. Talking to Daily Times she told about her inspirations that made her the graceful woman she is today. “The people around me, my life and environment in which I have grown up have been my inspiration to everything I have achieved in my career and as a human being”. She told that life has so many layers of experiences you learn from and it depends on you that what you tend to absorb from them and what do you choose to become. “One should have an eye to see and a sense to choose the right thing for themselves…..and learn from the teachings of life,” she revealed. The actress told that she has very busy working days as she wakes up early in the morning and she is very specific about how she begins her day as she told, “The first thing I do right after waking up is take 4-5 lemons in water and then I have my tea. After that, I like to play with my pet dog that is a little Shitzu. I normally skip breakfast and have fresh juice for lunch on the days I’m working…..then I get my make-up done for the shooting and after the long day at shooting the day ends at home.” Maria is a much organised person and she likes her things in place, therefore, she likes to look into the house matters. “I go through all the chores at house as a woman would normally after having my bed tea that I cannot go a day without and then I have to manage the work-staff and look into other matters related to the house. Sometimes I have to wrap up my Salon appointments and sometimes I have plans to have dinner with friends”, she specified. The actress is quiet fond of reading and she usually likes to read auto-biographies not books specifically. Similarly, she does not have any specific diet plan to follow. Maria said, “I don’t limit myself to specific eateries, in fact, I eat whatever I feel like. I eat sweet desserts too if I’m craving them but I also like to keep a balance between the portions I take so that I don’t eat too much of one thing”. The powerhouse Maria Wasti has an absolute sense of dealing with things and situations right on time. She says that she doesn’t like to leave something unresolved or delay to take the right decisions, which is super impressive and has flattered me even more than before. “I am very practical about things and I know how to deal with the situations and what is the right time to take the right decision”, she told talking to Daily Times. The actress described her brilliant experience that she had while shooting in Istanbul for her morning show ‘Sun rise from Istanbul’, “I loved the unique concept of this show and accepted the offer right away. This has been one of my life’s greatest experiences. It was something completely different from the usual idea that we get from watching morning shows these days. I loved everything about it, the people I worked with, the guests I interviewed and the list goes on.” Upon asking about what she liked the most about Istanbul and its people she admitted that, “The best thing about Istanbul and its people is no one judges you there over religion or culture. There’s a tolerance for what you wear, what you eat and what you want to do. On one hand there’s a mosque and people are practicing their religious activities whilst on the other hand there is a club with loud music for everyone to enjoy. There is peace, harmony and Sufism at peak”. The glamorous Maria unleashes her secret to stay up-to-date, “I don’t have any specific favourite brands but I like to buy the trendy clothes and accessories. I do not stick to one brand or style only, I keep switching. I follow the variations in trend because there are many things I never used to wear but now I do”. She just toured Greece this summer for two weeks and she loved the wonderful experience she had there. Also, the people of Greece and the food fascinated Maria a lot. Currently, Maria is busy in shooting a drama serial in Karachi that is titled as ‘Teri Chah Mein’ alongside the very talented singer and actor Farhan Saeed that is being produced by the Big Bang production house. It will be on-air this Eid. In this serial, rights of women in Sharia law are highlighted. The story of this drama revolves around a woman ‘Mehwish’ whose character role is being played with Maria. “The serial is based on a true story and is actually a taboo because the character ‘Mehwish’ is a girl who gets married to an elderly man and she raises her kids and spends her life with that man. After the death of her husband she gets married to the son of her late husband’s brother who falls in love with Mehwish,” Maria told Daily Times. Farhan Saeed is playing the role of that nephew who falls in love with Maria in ‘Teri Chah Mein’. The main focus of this drama serial is to highlight the issue and cause of women being harassed and turned down over their rights. Women are not given proper rights and this drama is an effort to educate the men of our society to know the rights and place of women in society. Men can support women in getting their right place in society by acknowledging themselves first and then others. Where the husband’s nephew is ‘Mehram’ for Mehwish, the society will consider it a Taboo for a woman like Mehwish to get in a marriage like this. The actress showed her deep concerns for the women who are killed for ‘Honour’, for marrying with a man of their choice where our religion allows it. The society needs to change and our men need to support their women rather than turning them down and killing them for honour.