**Atiqa Odho travels from tawdry film sets to glittering fund-raisers **
By Mohsin Sayeed
http://www.gupistan.com/gallery/3/malea.jpg
*Atiqa Odho and her daughter with former US president Bill
Clinton and his spouse Hillary Clinton *
KARACHI: What would you say to former US president Bill Clinton if you met him at a party? Exchange pleasantries perhaps or discuss a bit of world politics. Maybe the US role regarding the Kashmir issue could crop up, if you belong to India or Pakistan. But multi vitamins would hardly cross your mind. Well, they did cross Atiqa Odho’s mind when she met him.
“He is pink. I just couldn’t help asking him about what multi vitamins he used. Perplexed by the strange query, he burst out laughing,” reminisces Atiqa, in her sunshine filled drawing room at her Karachi Queens Road residence.
If anyone can shed some light on multi vitamins then it should be her. Dressed in a simple black and white shalwar kameez, Atiqa is glowing. Slimmer than before, she looks more seasoned then ever. She is not the same Atiqa one interviewed almost a decade ago for the first time - for both the interviewer and the interviewee.
Writing about the same person can be cumbersome, boring and monotonous. But if the person is Atiqa, no worries. She always comes up with something interesting every time.
A stint with styling for advertisements soon lost its appeal for Atiqa, so she moved in front of the camera. Big screen magic lured her and her quest for better work resulted in her fling with cinema. Three films with performance oriented roles and five years later, when cinema did not show any signs of growth for the gorgeous and talented actress, she returned to television.
No based in New York with her banker husband and three kids, Atiqa keeps shuttling between Pakistan and the US.
Now the latest news on her horizon is her recent involvement with fund-raising efforts for Hillary Clinton’s campaign for the US Senate. Atiqa worked on roping in supporters among South Asian origin Americans in the Big Apple.
Introduced to Hillary Clinton as a celebrity from Pakistan, Atiqa found her to be a woman of substance and immense strength. Atiqa believes that it is very obvious that Hillary has been behind Clinton’s rise to prominence and eventually his eight years in the White House.
“She is amazing. Her biggest strength is her ability to remember faces and names. I was introduced to her through friends who asked me to join the fund-raising campaign. When I met her at one such dinner, she talked to me and exchanged views about the India-Pakistan relationship,” says Atiqa.
As Atiqa chatted, one could sense a nebulous change in her - nothing overt but definitely perceptible. And suddenly it becomes clear: Atiqa has matured politically. Being away from home has made her see politics in a fresher perspective. Hillary’s promise to work for easing tension in South Asia convinced Atiqa to campaign for her.
“We cannot run away from politics. I thought that if I could use my status for my country in a better way, then why shy from it,” she says.
The Pakistani community responded positively. Her huge following -courtesy Pakistani plays available on video and aired by private channels in the US- paid dividends. She knows exactly how to charm people and win them over. She never tells them what they necessarily want to hear, given her penchant for speaking her mind. But her selection of words, timing and style wins for her.
No wonder she remains someone the media never lose interest in. Always known for her open approach towards the media, Atiqa is not one who shies away from publicity. And when the infamous ‘Close-up Antaksheri’ controversy erupted, Atiqa responded in a dignified but firm manner.
The controversy broke out when the Kargil conflict was at its peak. As a goodwill gesture and peacemaking effort, Zee Television had invited artists from India and Pakistan in New York to do participate in an episode of the popular music program. In the same spirit, Atiqa sang ‘Dil, Dil Pakistan, Jaan, Jaan, Hindustaan’.
“It was a peace-making effort. And I firmly believe that artists are the best peace ambassadors. From New York, I faxed a statement to all papers. I said I have given my sincere efforts, time and hard work to my country. And what I got in return is mud-slinging and labels challenging my patriotism. I told them to write what they felt like. It did not affect me,” she said. But the memory clearly rankles as her gorgeous face flushes in retrospective anger.
Possibly the treatment meted to her by the Pakistani media acted as a catalyst for her decision to work in the Indian television industry. A recent visit to Mumbai bagged her many offers from the ever-burgeoning Indian television industry.
“I have decided that I am an artist and I will work wherever I am offered an opportunity. Those who are looking for dirt will find it regardless. Why should I be intimated by them? My conscience is clear,” she declares.
Has opposition or mud-slinging ever made her think about ending her passionate affair with the fickle world of lights and action?
“Never. It’s not a hobby for me. It’s my profession,” is her short and firm reply. “In fact, if I have to start all over again, I’ll opt this field. It gives me the chance to meet so many people and experience the world in a different perspective. I love it,” she adds after a thoughtful pause.
^^Believe to Understand^^**