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It was Spring. Dressed in her favourite outfit and reclining against the sofa in the living room, munching away on nachos - Iman is a true junk food addict - chips, chocolates you name it - even in such ordinary surroundings one could not make Iman seem ordinary. The regal air with which she carries herself and the typically eastern ‘ada’ that defines her are such integral components of her personality that they can never be separated from her. True, like any great model she can mould herself to suit the mood of any shoot, be it a wild western cowboy or a demure bridal one. But once the lights are off and the make up has been removed she stops being Iman Ali, model extraordinaire, and becomes Iman Ali - person extraordinaire.
Iman was in one of her low moods that day and hence was munching away even more fiercely. Earlier, her recording for a television serial brought with it an incident that was bothering her greatly. The scene was shot at the Punjab University and the constant barrage of remarks from the spectators (mostly University students) had put the leading lady, Iman, in a foul mood.
“I was so furious. I mean, it wasn’t even as if I was wearing a revealing outfit and prancing round the trees. Sitting on one of the benches I tried to deliver my lines the way I was being asked to and here these hooligans would just fling their totally uncalled for remarks. One expects a few remarks but these people were just getting out of hand.”
What Iman really wanted to do was walk over to the hooligans and give them two or three resounding slaps on their faces.
“I just don’t have the guts to it actually. I might be very vocal in expressing my disapproval of such actions sitting in the house but when I am in such a situation, I tend to seek the help of those around me.”
The only time when she actually regrets being in showbiz is when things like these happen. “I hate the attitude people have towards showbiz, especially in this country. The public seriously seems to share a love-hate relationship with us. They love to watch us on the screen, they love to watch us on the ramp, they love to buy our magazines and gaze at our shoots but they hate us. Without any logic whatsoever they are convinced that we alone are spreading immorality and vulgarity in this society and that if it wasn’t for us actresses and models, we would be one pious nation.” She has had to suffer more than her counterparts as being Abid Ali’s daughter hasn’t been easy.
“I am often asked how it feels like to be an actor’s daughter and I find this question as ridiculous as asking an engineer’s daughter how she feels. I have never known what it is like to be the daughter of anyone other than Abid Ali, so how could I know the difference. All I know is that I have received more than my share of unasked for criticism. Often we would just be referred to as the ‘actor’s children’ and I find this label excessively degrading. How does that make us less worthy than anyone else. Or less human. Or less deserving of respect.”
It is for this reason alone that she would strongly discourage, later in my life, her offspring, specially a daughter, from stepping into showbiz. “You need very tough skin to survive here.” And tough skin Iman doesn’t have. Especially considering the number of facials she gets done every week.
“I do not,” she breaks out laughing on hearing this since Iman says she is as nonchalant and unconcerned about her looks and figure as the next girl on the street.
“I’m probably one of the very few models who eat and eat. On the average I take five meals a day and by meals I mean proper servings of aloo kay parathay and the likes. Dieting for me is cutting my daily intake down to four meals. I love Lahore simply because of the amazing variety of food that one can get here. From daisee to Italian, from French to Chinese, you can find it all and every week there is a new restaurant to try from.”
But then how does she manage to stay so thin? This is a question she says she is often asked.
“Thin, I don’t think I am thin. In fact when I am standing in front of Vinny I just feel like such a fat cow. I don’t work out at all, so probably the reason why I still manage to look reasonable is because God took pity on me and I was born with a high metabolism.”
Many would laugh at Iman’s description of herself. One of the reigning queens of the ramp, Iman burst onto the modelling scene in the late 1990s when a chance offer came her way. Now, after many many hours of modelling, Iman is convinced that she is not a natural in front of the camera.
“Me a natural, you must be kidding. Ask Ather and Shahzad and they will tell you of the many boo boos I made during my first few shoots. I didn’t even know how to stand much less pose in front of the camera.”
But some of the baby pictures her mother has speak differently. “It was my mother who incidentally is a singer and former TV artist, pointed out that in all my childhood pictures I seem to be holding a particular pose and in a few my lips are even arranged in a definite pout. Guess I was just born to be a model,” laughs Iman.
Nowadays, though, she seems to be doing more acting than modeling. “I’ve done a couple of plays before, but I feel that it is these three projects that are going to really and truly launch me as a serious television actress.”
The serial she is really enjoying acting in is the one her father, Abid Ali, is directing and producing.
“I am playing the lead in the drama and I just love the complex emotional character I portray. There is this rich girl who gets married to a poor man from a very traditional family and the first half of the serial is based on the difficulties she faces in understanding a completely new family and their manner of living. It’s a really interesting depicting the emotional growth of one particular woman and I just thrive on such roles.”
Besides movies, there are quite a few other things Iman is completely into.
“Like Tom and Jerry cartoons, chocolates and orange ice lollies,” she candidly lists.
In a nutshell this is Iman for you.
taken from megaeast.com
