Interview with Mahnoor Baloch
Gone are the days when actresses of the small screen acquired the stature of a living goddess; today the small screen is ruled by women who might be wonderful actress but because of their lack of proper training and lack of quality work available, they are unable to reach their full potential. Mahnoor Baloch was one of the last actresses who was categorized to in the same league as Zeba Bakhtiar, Faryal Gohar, Atiqa Odho and Marina Khan.,
Mahnoor Baloch is beautiful and that is as obvious as the sunshine in summer. But delve deeper, and you could definitely say that she is much more than just stunning good looks; she is determined, ambitious and highly goal orientated. In the past Mahnoor�s acting histrionics took the media by storm and now she is all set to strike an impression as a director. You live, you learn and for some people this learning process never ends, and Mahnoor is one such person. She was in town recently after completing her filmmaking courses from Canada, Women s Own s Azfar Rehman had the opportunity to catch up with her.
Why have you moved to Canada?
I wanted to settle down there for my daughter plus my family is in America so I wanted to be close to them another reason was my education. I had done my graduation and after acting I wanted to get into direction and unfortunately we don't have any film making institutes here in Pakistan. I wanted to learn how people abroad make such impressive movies, here in our country we have no options of learning film making or direction, today when I see my first directorial play I feel dissatisfied as I could have done a lot better but then deep down I feel for a beginner. I wasn't all that bad (smiles). I was very keen to educate myself in this field, even though I was through with 2 plays as a director and they were even sold at a good price, I could've continued that way but I wanted to learn it the right way. Maybe because I wanted to work as a filmmaker anywhere be it Pakistan or any other country.
Was your family supportive of you during this phase?
I was married at a very early age and thankfully my in laws encourage education very much, they feel if one is not studying something is definitely wrong with them, when expressed my desire to study further I was encouraged. Basically I wanted to be a psychiatrist; I was always interested in human behavior.
When you were working as an actress we had just two TV channels, today the, list is endless. Are you satisfied with the television programs today?
I think the quality is excellent, the production is very good but I think they really need to improve on the content they are showing. Today anybody who wants to get into television is getting a chance to work. It doesn't work that way I started of as model which helped me in getting familiar with the camera, then step by step I made a mark in acting and now direction, still I thought I needed more education, that's one of the reasons I moved abroad to study what the entire film making process is all about. I feel television today has superb quality good performances but we lack a little in story.
What's the reason for this lacking?
I think somehow it's a lot easier for people getting in this entertainment field today, in old days it was very difficult, getting into PTV was quite a task then. The big actors today did a lot of hard work, people with real talent and creativity use to get the chance to prove themselves but today who ever wants to, gets in easy.
Being a director do you see any difference in actresses today?
We have no lack of talent, we get to see a lot of talented and even pretty girls today but after two, or three plays some thing goes wrong with them, they lose their charm and produce less quality work and get most interested in the commercial aspect. They don�t have time they are running from one shoot to another and that's probably because I feel we are still underpaid and that that is the reason why they take it non-seriously. If an artist has to run from one Place to another I think it gets, very difficult to concentrate on your acting then. There are a lot of professional actors today in the market and acting is only mode of earning, if they are paid well from one project I feel their determination towards their work will increase.
Do you think looks make an actor last for a longer time?
I don't think so, looks matter to quite an extent in modeling, you need to have a certain look to endorse a certain product but once when you get into acting you might get a good break on the basis of your killer looks but you will not have a long innings if you don�t have talent. You have to be a good actor to stay in the entertainment field for long.
Why did you keep away from television for such a longer time?
I have always been very choosy about the projects I do. I took Marvi up just because the script was very strong and it had a lot of substance plus the team was exceptional too. After a few plays I wasn�t getting the of work l was on for, and then I moved to Canada for my education.
What type of education are you getting there?
I joined the Toronto Film School and went there for around 15 months but now I am back after learning the technical side of filmmaking. My professors there were some of the people who had auditioned Jim Carry for the first time. While studying there I realized that Hollywood isn�t that far, my professors used to love my synopsis and they were willing to work on my stories. Then I felt that I should go to my country and do something in film making, but not Pakistani feature films.
What kind of movies do you plan on making?
While studying in Toronto film school I was blessed with opportunities and people were eager to work with me on my story lines, it encouraged me to come down here get hold of a few investors who are willing, and make a cross over movie with Pakistan and Hollywood, just the way Indians are doing it. But let�s see how successful I will be.
Do you miss acting?
Oh Yes! It's like a drug. It's been two years and I miss it badly, I love acting but the script has to be really good and the team should nice.
Have you ever thought of joining the film industry?
Well, I was offered a couple of movies but I refused. The reason being that I want a very educated team with me, I, don't like swearing on the sets and I don't like people acting funny attributes towards an actress, in movies you have romantic scenes and songs and everything and I think in such circumstances I can only act when my co, stars and my team are at the same wave length and caliber as I am. I don't mind movies at all but I definitely value the script and the team, the team has to be very educated. I feel a lot of educated people should enter our film industry and bring a revolution, people like Mehreen Jabbar are doing exceptional work for the small screen and I feel they can do wonders on the big screen too and also Marina Khan, if Marina makes a movie I would love to work in it. But currently I myself am trying to make a cross over movie.
With such major goals in life do you feel you might be neglecting your personal life at times?
No way! My family life is my top most priority; I have to be there for my family all the time. I just take a month off and come to Pakistan and then go back, it's not like that I am away for 4 5 months, its not possible for me either I am a very family person and I cant live with out my husband and daughter for long.
What kind of a person is your Husband and how would you define your relationship with him?
I married my husband when he was 17 and we've been married for ages now Mash Allah, we have grown up together, I cannot remember being without him, we were together as kids and it's so true that we actually have grown up together. We are more like friends than husband and wife; he is very supportive of what ever that I do. The pest part about him is that we can talk about everything, he listens to me as a friend and not as a husband that makes life a lot more beautiful and easier. It happens very often that if you arc married at an early age, the marriage doesn't last for long but in my case, Mash Allah I have no regrets, I would love to do it all over again. I can't imagine life without him,
What relationship do you share with you parents and daughter?
I'm very close to my parents and as I have just one child so naturally I love her more than anything else, now that she is growing up we can communicate a lot more, she is like my best friend by the way we keep arguing over shirts and tops. We are like pals.
What has been your best work till date?
I did a sunsilk commercial for television in 1993, it was made on a 35mm camera and it was like a movie Asim Reza made it and it was really good.
What do you do to relax?
Lots of things, these day; I am reading this book by Fauzia Saeed called Taboo, I just can�t keep it down it's a very interesting piece of literature I am enjoying it thoroughly I have seen Devdas around 4 times I just love the movie. When I am in Canada I like spending time in my living room and I just can�t miss these 2 shows, they start at 3 and end at 5 in the evening, I at times even cancel my appointments so that I don't miss them, one is Oprah Winferv and the other is Dr. Phill. We all know about Oprah Winfery, Dr. Phill is a psychiatrists he brings people to his show and holds a problem solving session with them, that�s very interesting.
Any message for the people of today?
People should educate themselves, education is the base of everything In respect of our entertainment industry I would say that we have a lot of potential and talent but without education it will be wasted. If you want to enter any field be it entertainment or any other field learn something about it first, because people of today can only bring a change in media tomorrow and make our coming generations proud.