A woman of remarkable talent, Zeba Bakhtiar is an icon in the media industry. Her career has taken her from acting to script-writing to direction and production, and it can be said her works speak volumes about her success. She reigns with quiet dignity and grace, and has won the hearts of every Pakistani, as an actress, a role model and above all, an individual. Mag4you.com meets her to discuss her success, her latest serial ‘Mulaqat’, and how she has balanced family life with her work.

Please tell us about yourself in terms of family background, education and brought up?
I was born in Quetta. My mother is a European but she has lived in Pakistan for such a long time that she is more Pakistani than any Pakistani. My father was a politician. I have 2 brothers who are both doctors & are in the USA whereas my sister is a corporate lawyer. I am the only one who took up this profession. I was brought up in a very conservative environment. I never thought of entering showbiz, it was a kind of accident that made this happen. I got my initial education from convent school Quetta and then Kannade college, Lahore. Later I did my BA and then went for law, but never completed it.

How it does it feel to be married, and with ‘Leghari’ attached to your name?
I think being married is a good thing, because one needs companionship, provided you have enough in common with your spouse, and it’s a comfortable situation to be in. Wedded bliss has done me well; it takes a bit of getting used to, but one adjusts – people around me tell me it has indeed suited me and I too, feel happy. It’s odd, people in the industry constantly ask me how I feel about being married, but I am sure it’s no different than what any other woman would feel. Apart from the Islamic angle, it was the right thing to do, so I went ahead with it; given that choosing the right things in life is important to me – but one could say I’m a romantic idealist.

How did you start your career?
My career started when I was fairly young. It’s been 20 years now. When I was in third year of college, I got into an arranged marriage that lasted exactly a year which left me severely traumatized. I returned to my parents’ home, and didn’t want to depend on them any longer, so I tried to become an independent earner. I thought of the various options open to me, spent six months abroad and started writing serials. PTV freaked out when they saw my first script as they felt I couldn’t show women taking drugs and smoking cigarettes, although I insisted “But they DO!” So that script never saw the light of day.

How much were you inspired by your father and was he hesitant in letting you go for showbiz?
I think every parent would be hesitant in letting his/her child go for showbiz and he definitely was. It was because I was a very pampered child therefore he gave his decision in my favour. But after so many years now, I feel he was right, not because there is some thing wrong with the profession, but because of the way people look at it. People are very narrow-minded and their perceptions are not realistic at all.

You were not exposed on the big screen like you were on television. You looked a lot more stunning & beautiful in Kundi, Anarkali and Tansen than in Henna. Why?
That might be true but then every director has a different vision. Some people go for more details than others. That is unfortunate and it does happen.

Since you started your career on TV, what were your feelings when you first faced the camera?
It was exciting because I never aspired to be an actress. In fact I am still not an actress. But it was something new. So I was like Alice in Wonderland, trying to discover something. It was fun and exciting.

Let me tell you, when I go on stage I begin to tremble, and can’t stop. I’ve always been shy and reclusive – hardly the person who wants to be in the spotlight. I did my first long play as an experiment – partially, because Iqbal Ansari let me write part of the script. Next thing I knew there was a troupe here from England that wanted a female actor who could speak in English and Urdu. They needed me in London for four or five months, so I agreed as it also gave me the opportunity to do a few short courses in production. In the meanwhile I was asked by Haseena Moeen to do ‘Taan Sen’ – and no one says no to Haseena Apa! She asked me to come to India, and after much persuasion, I went along for the screen test, with my mother in tow, quite sure I would be rejected, so there wouldn’t be any problem. To my horror, I was asked to return in a month for the filming. Aside from my nervousness about what my father would have to say about it, I was conscious of the fact that a big responsibility rested on my shoulders — I would be representing my country at a time when relations were less than cordial between India and Pakistan. So I knew I had to be very careful about how I conducted and carried myself.

How was the experience of writing, directing, producing and acting in off the track movies like Babu?
It was very hectic and demanding & the net result was that I ended up in a situation where I had to write the story myself, as I wanted my writer to deliver on time but he just did not. So when one is stuck up in such a situation when you have to finish the work and people are not doing the work in the given deadline, you have to do things on your own. Although it was very difficult but it taught me a lot.

You have worked in Indian movies as well as Pakistani. Did you face any difficulty working for Indian movies, as their movies are quite different from ours, I mean from the characters to dance steps to costumes and makeup? Were they cooperative and did you have problems adjusting to that environment? Especially as far as dance steps are concerned, as we have learnt it was one of your weaker areas?
They were very co-operative and supportive. They did understand that our culture was different. In fact most of what I have learned is from there, it is the attitude, and the approach, which matters. As for dance, I took classes for that purpose because there in India, the dance is taught in every school, but then most of the roles I have preformed did not require much of dancing.

Your dresses are very different from other actresses. Do you design them yourself?
I just make sure I’m dressed. With all due respect, I believe our dramas and movies reflect our country & culture. When I was in India, I was representing Pakistan; therefore, one has to be careful. If one tries to act like or be dressed like some one from the other end of the world, you’ll just end up insulting your own culture.

On a scale of 1-10 how would you rate yourself as an actress/director/mother/ human being?
Leave the professional side apart because that’s for the audience to rate me. As a mother I try my best because I think that is my biggest priority in life.

What milestones do you feel you have achieved?
None — except my son! I’ve always been very fond of children — they’re so untainted by society’s expectations of them. I feel I can relate better to children than to adults.