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Saadia Imam, simple, pleasant and petite, a showbiz girl is enjoying her booming career and hoping to achieve a long way in the acting run. Tview recently had her interviewed a day before her departure to the neighboring country India for the mega joint venture that is to be aired on Geo channel. Saadia kicked off her career in 1996, with a play by Kazim Pasha 'uljhan' but it was her first commercial of 'Supreme', which made her mark in the industry. Saadia is typically an eastern woman, and fancy a life full of happiness and joy. • Q. How is your working experience so far in the Television? It has been very good and I'm enjoying a lot. I feel myself very lucky as I've worked with many senior directors ever since I joined television. I won Lux Award in 2001 and National Award, so I must say that in a short span of time I have gained considerable recognition. • Q. How many serials you have done till now? It is in fact very difficult to recall the number of plays I have worked in, but from PTV I have done hardly four to five serials; these days drama serial 'Paani Pe Naam' by Kazim Pasha is going on air. As for private sectors are concerned so much work is happening that it's not easy to remember them. • Q. Would you like to name any of your personal favorite drama? My favorite play is 'Colony 52' written by Anwar Maqsood and directed by S Suleman. I also like 'Anmol' by Faisal Bukhari. • Q. Any particular reason for liking these plays? Actually in these plays my characters are very different from each other. I feel that an artist never forget those plays in which the director himself is too much involved with the script. These are the plays where including the cast; the director played a major part. My tone, body language, dialogue delivery, one mile to every inch director gave hundred percent input. And last but not the least I also like 'Umrao Jan' in which I played the negative role for the first time. • Q. What for you is the most important feature when you are offered a play? Is it the script, cast, director or the production you seriously look upon? I can only talk about myself but generally speaking artist's first concern is the director; he will inquire about the director first. As for me, no matter how good the story is, unless you don't have an able director, the story does not leave a lasting impact. • Q. These days only numbers of faces are being viewed over from every channel that creates monotony. Do you think, there a dearth of talent in the industry? I think every artist has his or her own time and those who are frequently coming these days are still enjoying their high time, they are maybe in demand. But the other way round it's a dilemma in our country that when you've to sell a product you need at least five star studded cast. In this bid to foil this taboo we surely need to introduce new talent. But it's a job of the producer to introduce new faces. I think Geo and few other private channels have changed the trend. • Q. Do you have a special working chemistry with Humayon Saeed as you're often paired opposite to him? In fact me and Humayon have done only few plays. Though many people insist why Saadia and Humayon do not work together? Actually the thing is that we have recently started working together and I have done a play 'Ham Se Juda Na Hona' sometime two years back and the tragedy is that it hasn't been on air yet, it was Humayon's own production. • Q. Whom do you admire most among your contemporaries/ or feel at ease working with? It's a great experience working with all. I enjoyed working with Shabir Jan, he is an excellent actor. Faisla Qureshi is cool, I think he is a great artist and I foresee that he'll go a long way in his acting career. As well as I always enjoy working with Humayon too. They are among those whom you get friendly within no time and feel at ease. • Q. Are you also mulling over to work in a joint venture in the neighboring production? Yes in fact I've accepted a play by Sarwar Moosvi. It's a mega joint venture between artists of both the countries. This play 'Kuch Rishtey Kachey Dhagoon Key' will be on air from Geo channel. Along with famous Indian stars, the cast from our side includes Shahbaz Khan, Bahar begum, Mustafa Qureshi, Saima Qureshi, Rustam, Ahsan Khan, including me and many other artists are taking part in this joint venture. • Q. What made you accept the offer? Was it tempting or the reason that it includes Indian star cast? In fact the storyline clicked me, which is very good. It is a story of four generations; we will be seen as the first generation in the play and it'll keep rolling on till the fourth generation appears. The cast is very balanced in that play. It consists of more than 100 episodes; it's soap actually. I think no other production has ever worked with such a heavy star cast before; it's going to be a biggest production of Geo. Although Geo has earlier launched a drama 'fasla' which also starred some Indian actors but that was a dead flop serial. • Q. Would you like to do movies? Any offer came your way? Ufff..... I was offered films many times and still offers are pouring in, but I'm not at all interested. I personally do not like movies, and it is pretty simple that I do not want to do movies. • Q. What if a tempting offer from Indian cinema comes your way? Would your reaction be the same? As far as Indian flicks are concerned, it's a big 'NO'. Movies are not my forte it's against my temperament, I cannot even imagine doing films. • Q. Do you have reservations you think you cannot compromise of? Movies are demanding in every sense and I simply do not have that stamina to get along well with the movies. Pooja Bhat offered me the role in her movie during her recent visit to Pakistan I had to decline the offer. (who tu meri jaan ko aagai thi).... • Q. Where do you see yourself as an actress in next couple of years? For nearly seven years I'm surviving in the industry. The respect I've gained during this time period, I'd like to uphold it. I have never conceived myself only as a heroine. I have always tried to work as an artist because artists have a long lasting career. If I'm to become a heroine then I won't be able to portray other characters and how long a heroine can stay in the industry-- say four to five years, her life is short lived. • Q. Let's talk about the scandals, as our artists often become victim of? I might be one artist whose scandals are repeatedly made and the funny part is that it's not with any co-star but I'm always scandalised with some businessmen hailing from Faisalbad, or unknown places. You see it's so annoying. But at times it can just wreck your life totally. Once I was on shooting and the scene was when the kidnappers had to kidnap me, the shooting was going on at Tariq Road. The other day the news with bold headline appeared in some (cheap) evening paper that Saadia Imam has been kidnapped from Tariq Road. My mother who is a sugar patient was hospitalised when she heard the hoax. I called that idiot and said had anything happened to my mother I'd have killed you. This is one reason that we have not subscribed any newspaper and it is prohibited in my home. • Q. What about that scandal when you were/ or made to involve in the embezzlement case, sometime back? Yes there was a case dating two or three years back and by the grace of God I've won that case. Ali Askari (idiot) from Lahore accused me in embezzlement of some thirty lacks rupees. In fact I was in Lahore working for the play 'Tapish', Arshad Tabassum was its director. After a month or so we were intimidated that Askari is involved in cheating hefty amount of some one or two crore rupees. Later he distributed the list of those who were accused of cheating and mine name was among the defaulters. I simply couldn't understand the reason of his animosity towards me. And I'm proud to announce that in a country like Pakistan I won that case without giving bribe to police or to FIA. I knew that I'm going to win since I've not taken a single penny; I fought back and succeeded. • Q. What is your marriage plan? Your fans must be curious to hear it from you? I think marriage is every woman's dream and so is mine. I idealise having a perfect life with a good husband, and lovely kids around. At this stage I just cannot make big decision only being emotional. Whoever will come in my life has to be a respectful man, who knows how to give respect and love. • Q. So you haven't met any such guy yet? I think people will laugh if I say 'yes'. It's not like that; many people had come and gone with the wind. I have to make certain decisions in my life and certainly this is one of the most important. • Q. How did you come up with the idea of running a boutique; you too have joined the same bandwagon like other artists? Yes I opened up a boutique in Dolman Mall and getting a very good response. I must tell you that among females I'm the only actress who has come up with such idea. What exactly happens is that mostly people wishes to wear same type of clothes that we do. So keeping that in mind I decided I must design apparel that is not too goody rather something that we can wear even casually. My boutique is for a mediocre families, it's not exclusive alone.
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