The actress discusses her film, Laal Kabootar, getting selected by the Pakistan Oscar committee, and future projects.
Actress Mansha Pasha, who starred in Laal Kabootar alongside actor Ahmed Ali Akbar in Kamal Khan’s debut film, and was one of the two protagonists in the film, spoke to Waqas Saeed on BBC Asian Network recently.
In between several Pakistani music hits, remixes, originals, collaborations and newbies, the conversation veered towards the gritty film’s submission by Pakistan for Oscar consideration for the upcoming 2020 edition of the Academy Awards.
Mansha Pasha also starred in Surkh Chandni, a hugely successful drama serial. When asked about the reception to the TV serial, Mansha noted, “I’m very pleased. People have really liked the character and the complexity of the character that I played which I’m pleasantly surprised [about] because usually negative characters – they are not very nuanced or at least audience sometimes doesn’t appreciate the nuance of the character but whatever feedback I’ve gotten, people have really appreciated the complexity of the character and enjoyed it and I’m very pleased.”
Answering a question about whether it was easy to play such a role, Mansha told Waqas, “I wouldn’t say easy because [of] the subject matter. It’s never easy but at the same time whatever character I’m playing - positive or negative - I look at them as a person and people are neither positive nor negative, they are just people. So, when you’re playing the character, you can’t look at it in that light, you can’t do that, you have to be able to justify the actions of the person at least while you’re doing it.”
Mansha revealed that future projects include a television serial with Zahid Ahmed and actress Sonya Hussyn and a film with Junaid Khan down the line.
As for the accomplishment of Laal Kabootar having gotten selected by the Pakistan Oscar committee to represent Pakistan at the Oscars should it get nominated or even as a consideration is no small feat.
“I’m delighted, I’m really very happy,” Mansha said of the accomplishment. She went on, “I’m really happy with the response that this news brought to us because we didn’t realise that people were so supportive of Laal Kabootar, I mean from cricketers to so many other actors and directors and celebrities and writers - all of them wrote in, and gave us their best wishes, which means a lot really because to say it in the Pakistani industry and for people to support it, it’s pretty huge.”
The film, described as a gritty crime thriller, paints an authentic picture of Karachi, the city. When asked about it, Mansha noted, “I wouldn’t say it’s Karachi right now but I do feel it’s what Karachi used to be at least 5 to 8 years ago and Karachi in the setting of the film really is the biggest character. They connected to where the film was set.”
She further noted, “In the context of the story, it’s obviously grim but at the same time I think there are little glimpses of economic cultures that’s like a melting pot and how we all connect with each other at some level. In fact, we’re all affected by the same things although we’re living different lives, in different ways.”
