Be it Marasim or Kisay Chahoon, Sonya Hussain has time and again proved her ability to play the quintessential damsel in distress on television. In a rut of conventionality,
Though Sonya’s role in Moor was small, it wasn’t without impact.
InstepInterVIEW
Actress Sonya Hussain recently made a move from television to the big screen and that meant changing her persona quite a bit. Instep spoke to the actress on the glamorous makeover and more…
Be it Marasim or Kisay Chahoon, Sonya Hussain has time and again proved her ability to play the quintessential damsel in distress on television. In a rut of conventionality, the actress has shown glimpses of incredible acting talent, for example as the mentally-challenged Nazo but it is the new dawn in cinema, which may after all bring a 360 degree turn in Sonya’s career and life. After landing a small but significant role in Jami’s critically acclaimed Moor, the 24-year-old actress has been making a conscious effort to shed the lovelorn, victimized girl’s image and shift gears from being a wall flower to becoming a glamorous starlet. Cinema has its own set of rules and while her role in Moor wasn’t as demanding of Sonya in terms of glamour, we do know that a certain level of pizzazz is expected of movie stars. Perhaps that’s the reason why she was also spotted walking down the runway as FnkAsia’s showstopper at last month’s Fashion Pakistan Week. Instep spoke to the young actress about what exactly made her change her mind and if future cinematic commitments are the reasons why she is suddenly being a lot more experimental with her looks.
“I have always been a fun loving, out spoken and party person in real life but my television persona never lets my fans discover that side of my personality,” she admitted. “They know me more as seedhi saadhi larki of TV who is often victimized and needs a man’s support to lead her life but that’s not who I am in real life.”
Stepping into cinema is hence only an additional factor in the process. “The silver screen demands actresses to look and behave a certain way. Looking glamorous is the need of the hour. People don’t go to the cinema to see ‘bajis’ on screen until and unless the role demands a de-glam look,” she said.
The actress added that television doesn’t give women a chance to experiment with their look and style. In fact it stereotypes characters whereby a good, decent woman must not have much to with ‘fashion’ and whoever does is likely to be the vamp.
“Being glamorous has never been acceptable on television,” Sonya asserted. “Wearing make-up or stylish clothes are traits strictly associated with negative characters. In order to be a female lead on the small screen you have to behave and act like a mazloom aurat because that’s what is going to get higher ratings.”
While the television industry can be credited with lending Sonya the popularity that she enjoys, it wasn’t really her preferred choice of career. She actually wanted to be a news anchor but as luck would have it, ended up doing a lead role in director Ali Saeed’s play, Don’t Jealous. She struggled for nearly two years before landing her big break in Dareecha. Now, a brief stint on the big screen has given Sonya the confidence to try her luck in movies. But it seems she is in no hurry to accept any random offers that come her way.
“In an actor’s life the second film is far more important than the first one. So, I am taking my time before giving my nod to any other offer. Expectations have soared high after Moor and I don’t want to disappoint my fans,” Sonya added.
That said, the 24-year-old has in fact signed her second film and though she doesn’t want to reveal any details till the official announcement has been made, she assured that role will prove her versatility as an actress. “I can confirm that my second film is all set to be announced by the end of this month but I can’t give details yet because I am waiting for my producer to make the official announcement,” she said.
Now that Sonya is a finding her ground in cinema and making an extra effort to adopt the much-needed mannerisms, does it also mean she is open to the idea of item numbers? That is an increasingly common feature of commercial films released over the past couple of years but one that’s been bashed for objectifying women and for not being a true reflection of our culture, time and again.
“Just like other commercial elements of a film, song and dance are equally important for a film’s success,” Sonya responded. “The problem actually starts when we become too judgmental. We don’t have any issue in watching Bollywood actresses shaking a leg to a song but if a Pakistani film features an item number then we proclaim it as a sin.”
She added that instead of criticizing the filmmakers for incorporating masala elements in movies, genuine efforts should be made to make this revival of cinema more sustainable.
“Great marketing tactics can bring audience to cinema houses but to hold their interest we have to offer them compelling stories. While filmmakers need to do proper homework before taking on any new project, as an actor it is our responsibility to understand the nuances of our roles as well,” she concluded.
