Madiha Imam impresses critics with Dear Maya

VJ-turned-actor Madiha Imam has made her Bollywood film debut with Dear Maya, a film that marks Manisha Koirala’s comeback to cinema. The film saw the light of the yesterday and has received mixed reviews from critics. However, a lot of Indian publications have appreciated Imam’s performance in the film, which is directed by Sunaina Bhatnagar.

“The film [Dear Maya] is entirely helmed by Madiha Imam, who’s fairly convincing and manages to hold her ground in most scenes, except the one where her character breaks down while confronting her best friend,” reports Pune Mirror.

Imam plays a young woman who, along with her friend (Shreya Chaudhary), sends letters to a lonely woman, Maya (Manisha Koirala) who ends up believing that she has found the love of her life.

According to a review in Scroll.in, “The movie belongs to the two young women, beautifully portrayed by Madiha Imam and Shreya Chaudhary. Bhatnagar (the director) has an ear for the Hindi-English speech patterns of teenagers and their overweening emphasis on the ability of love to move mountains or, in this case, push Maya out of her stupor. The young actresses nail a sequence in which they exchange barbs and confidences in a Delhi nightclub. The conversation has the flavour of youthful silliness as well as early adult wisdom, which is perfectly brought out by Imam and Chaudhary. Koirala’s screen presence signals that older actresses can have an afterlife, while the young actresses prove that talent thrives in surprising places. Imam, a Pakistani TV show presenter, is especially effective as Anna, conveying the difficult journey from immaturity to responsibility with sensitivity.”

So far Imam has gotten mostly positive reviews for her performance in the film. We hope to watch her on the big screen but it is unfortunate that Dear Maya has not been released in Pakistan for reasons unknown.