THE Delicate DIVA!

THE Delicate DIVA! by SAHAR HARIS Tete-a-tete with Sarwat Gilani "I believe in being natural and following my heart," says Sarwat Gilani, the young and talented television actress who touched many hearts with her iconic performance in epic drama serial 'Tere Jaane Ke Baad'. The petite doe-eyed beauty with delicate features on a fresh and glowing complexion has won over a huge fan following with her enigmatic screen presence and uber acting skills. Simple at heart, Sarwat's modest demeanor and down-to-earth personality reflects her humble upbringing. Not surprisingly, she has scaled the heights of success and fame in a very short span of time and continues to strive for perfection. Recently, MAG had a candid conversation with the dainty damsel as she reminisced her journey as an actress. Excerpts: SH: Did you always aspire to be an actress or did you have other ambitions? SG: Well, to be honest, I always aspired to do something in the field of arts. Not exactly performing arts but something similar to my education, like painting or drawing etc. Stepping into acting was just a stroke of luck! I was a student of graphic designing in Indus Valley School of Art and Architecture. During our film-making course, Salma and Azfar spotted me and needed a character for a play that was similar to my personality, and then Sultana Apa spotted me and I started acting from my debut serial 'Teray Jane Ke Baad'. It was a hit and I was able to strike a chord with the audience. From then onwards, there was no looking back. How was your family's reaction? Were you met with opposition from them? Sadly, the primary outlook of people who do not come from the television industry is that the media is not a good field. I wasn't met with opposition from my family but I guess it took a while for my extended family to come to terms with the fact that I am acting on TV. When everyone saw my work and the kind of roles I picked, they were comfortable with the idea. You are mostly portrayed as a shy, introverted and sober girl in the roles you depict on TV. Is the Sarwat Gilani we see on reel similar to her real life self? Yes! I do choose roles that reflect my personality. I don't come across as a threatening person nor do I do vulgar roles. Moreover, I prefer playing characters that do not have an opinion in society. Through these dramas, we pick up certain pertinent social issues related to women that need to be addressed. In Ishq Ki Inteha, I portrayed the role of a girl from a lower middle class family; all kinds of people are judging her and misleading her towards the wrong track because she's so gullible and does not come from a solid background, people often use her to their advantage, which is really sad but a true reflection of present day society. Moreover, I believe as an actor, we have the opportunity to address the nation and get our voice heard in a billion homes. Media has the power to influence and shape the various factions of society. So it's our responsibility to send across a good message. Share any hilarious incident from your childhood? I have fond memories of my childhood, ones that I will cherish forever. I was a very naughty kid but I wasn't ill-mannered. I was taught to be humble and to be a nice human being primarily. One day my brother and I pulled a prank on our neighbours; we got a shot gun, opened our windows and started shooting our neighbour's tube light. You can imagine how much we were scolded and spanked after our shot hit his window, shattering it into pieces. Tell us something about your family background? I belong to a Syed family and my father is from Peshawar so the conservativeness comes from there. But my father is a very liberal person at heart. Nobody in my family is from media so it was a bit difficult to convince them that I was planning to act in dramas. But when they saw the kind of work I did, they realised that I wasn't there to ruin the family name but to entertain people with goodness of heart. Eventually I was showered with praise from everyone. You are very picky and choosy about the work you do these days. What do you have to say about that? These days I have taken a break from acting and I am concentrating on my painting and calligraphy. There was a time when I was being aired too much on a local channel. That's when I decided I needed to be picky about the roles and serials I pick. I feel that if I am everywhere and seen by everyone all the time, people would get sick of me. What is your work philosophy? I believe in being natural while acting. I come from the same school of thought as Nado or Sania Saeed. We are into not looking plastic or looking beautiful and glamorous only. We want to perform and immerse ourselves into the character we are depicting. If the character we are portraying requires us to look ugly and shabby, we will try our best to look that way, because we are representing a real life situation. How does it feel to be a celebrity? What are your sentiments when your fans look at you and approach you? It is an intimidating experience to have so many fans hovering around you all the time. Mostly, I try to act normal and manage a comfortable smile, but from inside, I feel very shy. It humbles me a lot whenever I meet my fans. You'll find this funny, but no matter how much I cover myself up when going out in public places, fans still spot me and approach me. You have depicted so many diverse characters. Can you tell us which role was the most challenging till now? I have yet to enact a role that will send shivers through my spine, but I feel the most interesting and challenging character I have played to date would be Alizeh, the character of a girl in denial of her love in the drama Ishq Gumshuda. Do you plan to venture into direction and production in the near future? I might try my luck in direction or production eventually but for the time being I am here to act. Do you endorse taboo topics being addressed in our plays? Don't you think plays that depict a prostitute's life story are a bit too obscene for television? I believe that any story if told beautifully can be a success. But while addressing such taboo topics, one should never cross the thin demarcation line between decency and vulgarity, otherwise it will end up looking crass. If you were offered a taboo role, would you be willing to do it? If certain people who I am comfortable working with offer me such a role I could think about it knowing that we will be on the same frequency when it comes to the important details. What's the one thing that you love and hate about being a star? The one thing that is good is having the opportunity to come on people's TV screens and influence them on a large scale. And the bad thing is that the popularity and fanfare mislead people to believe that they own us. The fact that a celebrity does not have privacy in her life is what makes me uncomfortable. What's your idea of a perfect weekend? Well, my idea of an ideal weekend begins with a scrumptious breakfast in bed, lunch with family, dinner with friends and a movie in the end with my furry friends (my pet cats). Is Sarwat Gilani a social butterfly or an introvert who prefers to keep to herself? To be honest, I am a bit of both. I love meeting up with my close-knit group of friends for coffee. I love traveling and exploring exotic destinations of the world. Yet, I am a family girl and I like staying at home mostly, catching up on my hobbies, reading or painting. Share a comic moment while shooting on the set? Well, once we were shooting for the drama 'Ishq Gumshuda'. Humayun and I had to enact a scene in which Alizeh (me) was confessing her love for Ali (Humayun). We got so engrossed in the scene that when we finished the act, everyone on the set, from the director to the spot boy had tears glistening in their eyes. It was simply hilarious and we burst into peals of laughter at the sight. Do you have plans of tying the knot soon? If yes, would you leave showbiz after marriage? The word love, the colour red and the shape heart is not in my dictionary at the moment. I know I will eventually settle down and get married but it is not on the cards right now. Only Allah knows what lies in store for me in the future, so only time will tell whether I will continue acting after marriage or not. Share some pearls of wisdom for young girls who aspire to become seasoned actors? Please work hard and respect elders. You cannot reach great heights unless you learn and imbibe good traits from your seniors. Sarwat In A Nutshell Nickname: Siju Childhood ambition: To become an astronaut Childhood fantasy: To own everything that belonged to my elder sister. One person I would love to dine out with: Jude Law Favourite food: Biryani and Sushi Favourite holiday destination: Rome Favourite book: The book with all answers, the Holy Quran. Dream role: To play a character in an Iranian film after having learnt Persian. Favourite actors: Naseeruddin Shah, Robert De Niro and Natalie Portman Favourite male co-star: Faisal Rehman Favourite female co-star: Sania Saeed Most inspiring personality: My Nana Worst nightmare: Performing in a stage play and forgetting the lines! What's fashion for you: Classy western and elegant eastern wear is fashion for me! Style statement: Comfortable and classy Favourite hangout: My place Favourite writer: Ayn Rand and Anwar Maqsood Poets: Faiz, Faraz, Ghalib and Bulleh Shah Define Sarwat Gilani in 3 words: Imaginative, focused and natural • Hair & Make-up: Saba Ansari @ Sabst • Designer: Warda Saleem • Jewellery: Sawana • Styling: Ambreen Asim • Coordination: Umer Mushtaq • Photography: Munna Mushtaq • Model: Sarwat Gilani