Resham (born 1972) is a Pakistani film, television and theater actress based in Lahore. She debuted with Syed Noor's film, Jeeva in 1995 and later went on to star in a string of commercial hits in the late 1990s. She was noted for her performance as the upcoming model in Samina Peerzada's Inteha. She won a National award for her performance in film Sangam.
In 2009, she judged Pakistan's reality show Hero Bannay Ki Tarang. Resham has appeared in more than 200 Pakistani films in leading roles. Her notable films include, Jeeva, Sangam, Dupatta Jal Raha Hai, Jannat Ki Talaash, Muhabbat Hai Kya Cheez, and Guns and Roses.
Her dramas, Gulnar Bano, Deewangi and Tere Liye are airing on ARY Digital. In 2009, she began filming Syed Noor's Punjabi film alongside Naveed Raza, one of the winner of Hero Bannay Ki Tarang. In August 2010, she signed two films with Evernew Productions where she will play lead roles. Resham would appear in a item number of Shaan Shahid's film Chup.
The shooting of her song was premiered on ARY Digital Happenings in July 2010. Resham confirmed this, saying: "This is incredible. The set is very spoltaneous and designed well and my costumes are perfect. Shaan is doing a lot for our industry and I am glad to be part of his film."
Getting hold of Resham for an interview proves to be quite an uphill task. The sultry celebrity is busy looking after her ailing niece, and the frequent trips to the hospital has stressed her out.
Here is as much as the versatile artiste reveals of herself:
Mag4you.com: How did you venture into the performing arts?
Resham: I was the youngest in the family and was always into unconventional stuff like dance and acting, at school. For one of the stage performances in school some people had come down from PTV, and I managed to get hold of their contacts. Later, I went to the PTV centre with my brother and without telling anyone else at home, gave an audition. I managed to get a role as an extra.
That was 1994. I remember the first cheque I got was something like 300 – 400 rupees. And I had been so proud of it. A few plays later, I was lucky enough to get a leading role in the serial ‘Din’, followed by ‘Dukh Sukh’ which Syed Noor saw, leading to my being offered a role in his film ‘Sangam’. However, ‘Jeeva’, also by Syed Noor made it to the screen before ‘Sangam’, and the rest, as they say, is history.
Mag4you.com: You have worked in films and television, and modelled too. Which genre do you find more challenging?
Resham: Television has been the most challenging medium for me. In a film, you can cover up flaws, like, let’s say, your voice, at a later stage, when you’re dubbing. But in a TV production, you have to be able to balance your voice and expression right then and there.
I must say I have learned a lot from our TV artistes like Nauman Ejaz and Faisal Qureshi. Faisal, in fact, is one of the most versatile actors I have ever seen. You portray him as anything from a village lad of Punjab to a Bengali man or even a pimp and he’ll amaze you with his transformation each time. He is truly gifted. It is always a pleasure working with him and I learn a lot just by watching him. I have recently done the serial ‘Aashti’ with him and it was great to see him perform.
Mag4you.com: What do you think is the future of Pakistani films, TV and fashion?
Resham: Films…we are nowhere; fashion, we have really improved. You don’t need to go abroad to get trendy stuff, any more. Our designers are making brilliant clothes. My personal favourite is Umar Sayeed. I think his eastern designs are breathtaking and his western designs beat even Versace and Channel! As for TV, by and large, we have unfortunately lost the edge we had in drama by losing touch with reality. Our plays were popular around the world, but now we have taken up the Star Plus soaps full of visual gimmickry. I think HUM TV deserves a great tribute for bringing back the Pakistani drama to a large extent, to its original glory. HUM TV dramas have a very strong storyline.
