The first thing that strikes you about Armeena Khan are her photogenic, peaches-and-cream looks. But Armeena Khan is more than just another pretty face. And she is out to prove it. This non-resident Pakistani actress is on her way to make her mark on a global scale. She’s already partly done so at a time when our film industry was going through a lean patch. But she has set her sights high. Unlike most Pakistani actresses she dreams of working with Ryan Gosling rather than with Shah Rukh Khan — but more on that later. She has done a forgettable Indian film, Huff It’s Too Much, but now feels she is on the right track with The Real Target, an under-production British film.

“I like working with people from different cultures and that’s why I feel comfortable anywhere — be it in the United Kingdom or Pakistan,” says the actress while talking about her frequent international travels. “I take every character as a challenge, and if you are confident enough of pulling it off by adding versatility and your own touch to it, then it’s bound to be liked by all.”

The lead actress of last year’s prominent hit Janaan believes that the film industry in Pakistan is flourishing, especially ever since its ‘revival’ began a few years ago. “I was part of two family-oriented movies — Bin Roye and Janaan — but the third one, Yalghaar [releasing this Eid] is going to be different … very different,” Armeena smiles as she goes in Yalghaar mode.

“I have grown with these films because they helped me play characters in entirely diverse surroundings. Bin Roye was set in the US and urban Pakistan. The setting of Janaan was in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, while Yalghaar is an action-packed story that pays tribute to war heroes.”

The rise of this Canadian-born beauty has more to do with her decision to study business in London. “I didn’t choose acting, acting chose me,” Armeena says as she discloses her first attempt to act in front of the camera. “My parents are Pakistanis settled in Canada and I myself had no inclination towards acting. A few modelling assignments led to a film in India and since then there has been no looking back. The only thing that has changed is that now I travel a lot between Canada, my real estate business set-up in England, and acting assignments in Pakistan.”

The hazel-eyed lass feels that if you work hard, success will be yours and that’s how she sums up her journey on television. “When I started acting on TV, I had trouble reading Urdu but I managed to learn the language and today, I am fluent in it. It should have come naturally to me as I am half-Punjabi, half-Pakhtun, but I’ve lived abroad all my life. It did help me with Janaan though.”

Excited on being nominated for the prestigious The Eastern Eye Arts, Culture & Theatre Awards (ACTAs) in England for Janaan, she says: “I take such things in stride. I also received a nomination for Best Actress in the Nigar Awards, a huge compliment for a newcomer such as myself. I hope there will be more nominations coming my way soon.”

She attributes her fame [in Pakistan] to television and feels that the margin to perform on the small screen is more than in any other medium. “I have been lucky to have worked in projects that have done well on TV. People still remember Karb where I played the mother of a teenager in the latter episodes and they still talk about my characters in Mohabbat Ab Nahi Hogi and Ishq Parast. After all, from being second lead in Bin Roye last year, I have gone on to play the lead in Rasm-i-Dunya … what more can I ask for?”

In my opinion every person — fair-skinned or not — has personality and no fairness cream can bring out one’s inner beauty,” she says. She also feels that an actress shouldn’t become famous because of the colour of her skin or length of her hair. “Every actor needs to reinvent every now and then because the audience has become intelligent. You can’t stay in the limelight because of the way you look.”

In the ongoing Rasm-i-Dunya, Armeena plays a girl who doesn’t get to marry the guy who loves her, and instead marries the man who considers her his prized possession. “Sami Khan plays the psychotic husband while Bilal Abbas Khan is the guy who should have married me,” Armeena explains about her project. “It was fun to shoot the entire project in Lahore and I got to learn a lot from veteran Samina Peerzada who was very supportive and helpful. I got to know Sami Khan as well who is a wonderful actor. People might hate him for his role in the play, but in real life he is a gem of a person to work with.”

Armeena is most excited about another upcoming project — Daldal — from the makers of Sang-e-Marmar. “I was approached for Sang-e-Marmar but due to date issues I couldn’t manage as Janaan was also under production at that time. I’m happy to be back at Hum TV that features me alongside the dashing Zahid Ahmed. The drama is being directed by Siraj ul Haq.”

Unlike some of her colleagues, Armeena doesn’t like to belittle her fellow actresses. “Some newcomers think that by saying nasty things about others or making fun of their seniors, they might become popular when, in fact, they are showing to the world that they are insecure. Trust me, I don’t have time for such people … they might think of me as a threat, but I let my work speak for myself.”

Many believe that the actress has a face that can endorse a variety of products, yet she stays away from modelling assignments and has hardly done any commercials ever since she started working as a film actress. “Before I became an actor I had done modelling for lawn and some other products, but now I feel that I should use my energy to strengthen the film industry.” Armeena expands on the argument: “TV commercials are a good way to remain in the audience’s mind but they don’t last as long as a film or a drama — especially the latter. Contrary to what people think, doing a drama doesn’t lessen one’s importance as our TV industry is still huge. Sadly, films will still take 10-15 years to become big, that is, if we continue making quality films, and it is our coming generations that will benefit from it, not us.”

Last year, Armeena was in the news for rejecting an offer to work in a fairness cream commercial. “I felt insulted because in my opinion every person — fair-skinned or not — has personality and no fairness cream can bring out one’s inner beauty,” she says. She also feels that an actress shouldn’t become famous because of the colour of her skin or length of her hair. “Every actor needs to reinvent every now and then because the audience has become intelligent. You can’t stay in the limelight because of the way you look. Sooner or later people will get tired [of you] and move on.”

Then there is the case of working with Ryan Gosling. “I have wanted to work with the La La Land actor ever since I saw him in Crazy Stupid Love. He is one of the most handsome and talented actors in the world. I’m confident that in the future I might get a chance to work with him.” And Armeena might get her chance soon, considering she has walked the red carpet at Cannes to represent the film Writhe in 2013. Her film Stranger With Me was also selected for screening but she was unable to go with the team because she was busy with her projects in Pakistan.

With The Real Target, Armeena hopes to put Pakistan on the international map as no Pakistani actress has ever played a non-Pakistani role in foreign cinema. “The film has me in the role of an American federal agent, for which I am undergoing rigorous training. People might not recognise me as they are used to seeing me running around in a field, crying over someone’s shoulder or playing the foreign-returned relative who is new to her surroundings.”

Armeena is also part of another ‘experimental sci-fi short film’ Achilles Protocol which will be released later this year in the festival circuits. “I play an AI (artificial intelligence) character with a God complex and for that I had to create the character from scratch, which was fun. It helped me explore my limits.” She hopes that in the next few years more Pakistanis will get to work abroad. “It would be great if we as a nation invaded Hollywood [smiles] as other Asian countries have because that way we will be supporting our industry. We lack a professional approach and if we get to learn that, things will change drastically in the country.”

Will Armeena be willing to work in Pakistani films? “I have never said ‘no’ to a good offer. The ones I rejected didn’t appeal to me and what cannot appeal to me, wouldn’t appeal to my fans. But I do have a couple of offers that will give me a chance to improve my acting prowess. After all, what good is an actress who doesn’t experiment with her roles?”

Published in Dawn, ICON, May 28th, 2017