The new sizzling siren
By Mohsin Jafar
It is sad that many young actors, especially girls, don’t respect their profession. If asked why they chose this profession, most of them will say it was due to luck, or in other words, bad luck. This is one of the reasons why our society hasn’t yet accepted the performing arts with an open heart. There are exceptions to the rule and Veena Malik is certainly one of them. She belongs to a family which has no showbiz background; her father is a retired army officer living in Islamabad. Yet she dared to venture into this profession which is looked down upon by our society. Starting her career from Islamabad as a model, Veena came to Lahore to work in TV plays. Because of her talent and persistence she entered the silver screen and now is working in a number of films. Her new movie, Yeh dil aapka huwa is doing well in movie theatres. The good thing about Veena is that she respects her profession and she is very proud to be an actress.
“I know that some people have strange views about showbiz girls but believe me, most of them are rubbish. We may have flaws like any other human being but the fact is that a showbiz girl is more conscious than any ordinary girl because she knows that if she makes a mistake it will create a big scandal. I admit the fact that most girls on the acting scene are from a particular background, but now the situation is changing. People should encourage this change. It is sad that our society has little respect for artists. Look at the West where artists are even elected as head of states. We should change our way of thinking, which is outdated and full of hypocrisy.”
On the side-table near Veena was a novel so the conversation veered to her reading habits.
“I love reading books when I am relatively free. I don’t like doing the usual household chores. I hate going to parties which is why I come directly home from my shootings and any good book is my best companion. Otherwise I watch new Hollywood movies on cable.”
There are rumours that Veena is not happy with her role in Yeh Dil Aap Ka Huwa and blames Sana for this.
“I haven’t yet said a single word about Sana and am speaking about the issue for the first time. I respect her but I don’t know why she doesn’t reciprocate my sentiments. It is true that during the shooting of this movie in Spain and in Switzerland, she was very arrogant with me. When I signed this movie I was told that three songs would be recorded on me but only one was shot. I didn’t have proper dresses in Europe and when i asked Javed Sheikh to arrange the necessary wardrobe for me Sana stopped him. But I have no grievances with Javed Sheikh. He is a thorough gentleman and was under pressure. But I think that if at least two songs had been recorded on me and I had been provided good clothing and make-up facilities, the impact of my role would have been far better.”
So what was her opinion about the movie? Veena rather reluctantly but nevertheless, replied:
“I think the story is weak and it seems that the second half of the movie drags. The real strength of the movie lies in its music. The cinematography is magnificent. I think that the ending is very weak but on the whole it is a good movie.”
This is not the first time that Veena has had a bad experience in the film industry. Earlier, she went through a similar experience in Shehzad Gul’s, Teray Piyar Mein, where Zara Sheikh did the same thing. After the release of TPM Veena announced that she would not work in movies in the future. But she couldn’t keep herself away from the silver screen for long.
“When I saw my first movie I was very upset because my role was totally distorted. But at the same time I also liked my image on the big screen. It took me two years to come out of this bad experience. Then I signed Javed Sheikh’s movie. I am now working in six movies which include Shamim Ara’s Kaun Banay Gaa Crore Pati, Iqbal Kashmiri’s Tera Jadoo Chal Giya, and Shehzad Rafique’s Salakhain. For me the most important project is Salakhain. Shehzad Rafique is the guy who really convinced me to keep working in movies.”
So what about her rising TV career? I asked and she promptly replies: “I will never quit TV plays because my bread is coming from here. I am doing films only for the sake of fame. I am working in the sitcom, Miss-fit, Gupshup, Box Office and some other TV shows. My new serial Zindagi will be on air next month.”
There was a controversy about Veena that she had a revealing photo shoot, very popular on the Internet.
“This is absolute bullshit and a bad example of tabloid journalism. The Internet is full of fake pictures of all known artists. You name any artist and I can show you his or her fake pictures on it. There are lots of such sites which show such pictures. There is no case registered against me and I don’t want to discuss this issue.”
Tell us about you as a person? We change the subject. Veena answers while looking up in the sky:
“Well basically I am a very romantic and emotional human being. As an artist I try my level best to control my emotions. I have many friends but no boyfriend because I can’t afford a scandal. I am a very careless person. It really hurts me but I can’t change myself. I don’t like the typical Lahori way of life. I would much rather prefer a peaceful life in Islamabad,” she states getting up.
Ok Ladies and gentlemen, that was an article about Veena Malik from dawn.com
And here are some of her pictures:
http://www.gupistan.com/gallery/1/vina_malik_01.jpg