“I am a bold person who has no filters”

After making her acting debut earlier this year with TV serial Teri Meri Kahani alongside Azfar Rehman, model turned actor Saheefa Jabbar Khattak is currently appearing in drama serial Beti. Saheefa essays the role of Maryam, who is married into a family where the birth of a girl is considered a curse. Four episodes into the play, the model and actress is doing a commendable job.

Talking about her character in Beti, Saheefa Jabbar told Instep, “My first play was not that successful as I played a bubbly kind of a character. But I think I am made for such difficult and challenging roles. Actually I am a bold person who has no filters and I always wanted to do something like this and talk about such sensitive subjects.”

When asked why such depressing topics are being made into plays, she said, “I hate the fact that people avoid talking about sensitive issues and are not ready to accept things that are prevalent in our society. I don’t think projects that deal with social issues are depressing. In my opinion if something like this happens in your family, will you say let’s not talk about it as it’s very depressing. No. We will support the women in our family and will tell them to raise their voice against this nuisance that is prevalent in our society.”

She further went on to say that she doesn’t get why people in this era hesitate to speak up about sensitive topics. “The main problem is that viewers in Pakistan are not even happy with morning shows where there are lavish weddings, naach gaana etc. The viewers feel they are so cheap and question why some kind of awareness can’t be created through these shows. But now that such projects are being made to spread awareness, especially to women who belong to the lower strata of society, everyone is calling them depressing,” she added.

According to her, the only learning medium for women is television and dramas; they are the perfect way to teach them, empower them and educate them about their rights. “Why are we taking the entire thing in a negative perspective when something like this can benefit in so many ways?” she questions. “Until we don’t talk about such matters as a society and don’t come out of denial, nothing will change.”

Speaking about her selection of roles, the actress shared that she will always go for characters that are different and empower women in some way or the other; they should have a moral and leave an impact on everyone. “By taking up such strong roles like Maryam, I really want to set an example and show that a woman can be stable and independent on her own. I want that any woman watching Pakistani dramas gets to learn something.”

As far as her upcoming projects are concerned, Saheefa said, “I am currently shooting for my third play, titled Daagh, in which I essay the character of a young girl (18-19) in seven to eight episodes and then you will see a woman who is in her late 30s. So that is going to be challenging as my acting career is still in its initial stages.”

Saheefa Jabbar Khattak has been modelling for almost four years now and according to her she will never quit modelling as she is quite passionate about it. “I love both modelling and acting so you will see me in both the mediums.”

She continued, “When I came into the industry my aim was acting but I wasn’t too sure if I would be able to pull off any character. But to be honest the journey has been amazing. Both the industries are completely different; the mind set and work process is totally different from each other. Acting is time consuming and for me it is like a 9 to 5 job that gives you immense satisfaction.”

As for movies, the model and actress plans to do movies if a good script comes her way but at the moment there is nothing in the pipeline. On a parting note, Saheefa said, “I don’t plan ahead and I think when you start thinking big and things don’t go the way you planned them then it becomes quite frustrating. I am a dreamer and my dreams are really big. Let’s see where my dreams lead me.”