The stunning Pakistani-American actress Aamina Sheikh who is part of Zindagi’s shows Maat and Ishq Gumshuda has travelled the world in pursuit of her dream roles. “My life’s perpetually in transit,” she says with a chuckle.
Elaborating on her travels she tells us, “I was born in New York. I grew up in Saudi Arabia and Pakistan. I attended undergraduate school in Massachusetts and then returned to Pakistan, where I began acting; it’s been six years now.”
Unlike Indian shows, Pakistani shows have a limited run and a fixed story. Aamina says, “In Pakistan, shows are more like a test, where we see how the audience likes it. We have had just one two or three soaps that have gone on forever, like Indian shows. This way, actors get more opportunities to experiment in serials. From the viewers’ point of view too, shows with a limited time frame keep them interested.”
Indian soaps are hugely popular in Pakistan and Aamina says it serves as good competition to the Pakistani industry. She says, “I haven’t watched Indian shows consistently but I know there is a lot of viewership. Until a few years ago, private Pakistani productions had not boomed, it gave us a reason to up our game. It served as healthy competition. I watch Indian films regularly and was blown away by Queen and Highway. They left a huge impact on me.”
Speaking about the Pakistani industry she says, “There is so much room for growth — the concept of specialisation should be introduced. Sab tukke pe chal raha hai. Everyone’s taking a chance.”
Aamina doesn’t rule out plans to feature in a Bollywood project in the near future. “I would love to do a cross-border production. One can’t restrict oneself to one market. Exposure and growth are essential for an actor. From Bollywood I love Ranbir Kapoor, Arjun Kapoor and Abhishek Bachchan. Fawad Khan and Ali Zafar, from our industry who are now working in Bollywood are my favourites too.”
