Having started her career with a children’s programme, titled Dekho Suno Samjho, at the young age of 10, actress Rabab Hashim has some memorable performances to her credit including Ishqaaway, Main Maa Nahi Banna Chahti and the recently concluded Kamzarf, among many others.
Currently Rabab Hashim is appearing in new drama serial, titled Mere Mohsin, the first episode of which aired on Wednesday on Geo Television. In the family drama, Rabab essays the character of Soha, who is an independent, modern girl and belongs to a well-off family. Soha is in love with Mohsin (essayed by Syed Jibran), who comes from a middle class background and is the sole provider of his family.
In Mere Mohsin, the actress breaks away from the typical roles that she has portrayed in the past and looks promising in the play. Apart from Syed Jibran and Rabab, Mere Mohsin features veteran actress Saba Hameed as well as Jinaan Hussain and Mariyam Nafees in important roles.
“It is a family drama and I essay the character of Soha, which is very different from what I have done in the past. It is a project that is really close to my heart mainly because you will not see me portraying a stereotypical character,” Rabab Hashim told Instep.
“Soha is modern, educated girl but she goes through a transformation. All her struggles are real and in fact every girl will be able to relate to my character,” she added.
According to the actress, playing this character was enjoyable because it was close to reality and she got to shoot the kind of reactions that she wanted to portray on screen.
We have seen her playing intense characters but lately she has been doing atypical roles where the girl is always depressed and suppressed. Why is that so, we asked Rabab. The actress responded, “Most of the scripts are like that. To be brutally honest, as an actor it is very difficult to choose a character. And once you pull off say an intense or negative character well, you will be offered the same kind of roles over and over again. And that’s a constant struggle as an actor.”
Talking about plays that highlight some sort of social issue, which at times becomes very depressing, Rabab shared, “I also did Main Maa Nahi Banna Chahti that was issue based and it was depressing but it was a good script that had a message. Sometimes the content becomes crude and everybody gets uncomfortable watching it, so, I think it should be done in moderation and a balanced script is what we need.”
She added: “Moreover, I think it is the demand of TV channels. Even though, we criticize the content, it gets the numbers. And people do enjoy such content and hence channels insist on making such plays, hence our content now has become more depressing.”
Having said that, the actress believes that the industry is progressing and some really good directors and actors are entering the field, who have specifically obtained their education and degrees in this area, and they are doing some phenomenal work.
Rabab, who has done her BBA (Hons.) with a major in Marketing from CBM, Karachi, also received her diploma in theatre arts from National Academy of Performing Arts (NAPA).
“I just finished shooting for Mere Mohsin,” she said when asked about future projects, “and there are a few scripts that I am considering but the focus is on doing something different. I’m not rushing into anything because I’m looking for the perfect script.
As for venturing into films, the actress shared, “Nothing is concrete on the table right now; the scripts I have read so far and the meetings I’ve had didn’t materialize because for a film you need to have faith in the script, production and the character you will be playing. You see a bad drama sort of passes but a bad film stays with you. It is like a stamp, so you have to be extra careful.”
Speaking of future plans, Rabab said on a parting note, that she has stopped planning, even though as a kid she used to plan everything. “In the past 2 or 3 years I have learnt to trust the flow and that is my strategy at the moment. One thing is for sure - I want to keep doing something that I am passionate about and that is exactly what I am doing — acting.”
