She can be sassy. She has the chutzpah to speak her mind. She has a strange but listenable accent. And she knows all the love indicators

There are numerous morning show anchors and chat show hosts in Pakistan and none of them has in recent times garnered more viewership, or is being talked about more, than Mathira. She hosts a late-night programme titled Love Indicator on Vibe TV. Slender in appearance and never short of words, the teenager (yes, she claims she is still in her teens) began to turn heads last year by virtue of her candid chattering and uninhibited sartorial sense on her show. As the title suggests, you can easily guess the kind of frankness that’s required for it.

Mathira’s television career took off with a programme on which she appeared as a yoga instructor (she’s a yogi too!). A tad baffling as it is, she explains, “As a kid I lacked confidence. Once in school I nearly drowned in the swimming pool and became hydrophobic. Then I started taking yoga classes and they turned out to be the best way to overcome fear. It also keeps you healthy.”

She’s touchy about the subject and can opine endlessly on its merits. “When we started that yoga thing a lot of people spoke against it, saying it was against our culture and stuff. I want them to know it has nothing to do with culture. Yoga keeps you healthy and connects you to your soul.”

Indeed, not only soul, it can also make a showbiz person go places, for that particular gig provided her with the chance to feature on a late-night show.

Mathira says, “When I became a bit known, my boss, Babar Tajammul, came up with the idea of doing a late-night programme. I had no prior experience of hosting. We did it as an experiment to try and see if it worked. It did. It’s a live show on which we take calls and play songs. Now that it’s a known venture, we plan to take the next step and bring in some more interesting segments into it, for example, interviews.”

One of the things that Mathira became famous for is her accent. It raised quite a few questions about her origin, nationality and schooling. She doesn’t shy away from baring it all, “My father is from South Africa and my mother is a Pakistani. I was born on Feb 25, 1992, in Harare, Zimbabwe and did my O and A levels from there.”

Interesting bio, one has to say. The girl is 18 and has a long way to go. Surely education is not her priority anymore. “No, I want to get a degree either in psychology or gynecology. My mother wishes so,” she clears the situation. What? Gynecology? Let’s not probe further on that front.

Not unexpectedly, with fame come offers and a plethora of them. What kind is she getting? “I’ve been thinking of branching out into acting. I have two or three offers for acting in Pakistani plays.”

What about Bollywood? “Why not?” she replies with an emphatic interrogatory phrase. “If you get a chance to prove your worth, you should go for it. Why do people watch Preity Zinta’s films? Because she’s in them. They love her. Not only that, I think Indian actors should come to Pakistan and partake in our plays and films.”

Let’s hand it to her, the girl is uber confident. However, getting Indian stars to act in Pakistani plays sounds way too dreamy. Mathira disagrees, “Nothing is impossible. Everything is possible. You can even get Shahrukh Khan to come to Pakistan and act in a Pakistani film. All it takes is proper planning and a strong will.” Wow, she’s one self-assured lass.

This must mean that Mathira is well aware of her new-found celebrity status. Given her age, as she claims, it may have gone to her cute little head. “No, not at all. If you fly high, you’ll only land six feet under. Once you’re a known person, you must behave. You’re an idol now. You must cut out all the things that can have a negative influence on your viewer. I used to party a lot. Not anymore. These days after work I go back home like a good girl. You should respect your position.”

Where does this self-belief come from? “The kind of job that I do needs you to be bold and confident. I don’t know why this double-standard exists in our society that when Bipasha Basu wears a mini skirt and dances in front of everybody, she’s accepted. But when someone like me acts upfront about things they feel strange.” The girl has a point.

Then comes the eventual question: is she single? “I am single right now. I’ve been in a relationship when I was in Harare. That was a long time ago. I’m still looking for Mr Right.”

Showbiz is not a bed of roses, as it often turns out. Mathira fans are aware of an incident that happened during her show when an obnoxious call was put through, which she handled pretty wisely. “You see, it takes all kinds. There are a hundred people who like you, a hundred who hate you and a hundred who are jealous of you. I was shocked to receive that call. I didn’t know how to respond. I think I tackled it fairly well. I’m sure the caller must’ve felt like a hero after making that call. The thing is you have to take such things in your stride.”

Mathira’s future plans? “I don’t plan things in advance. Even if I do, I wouldn’t reveal them to be put on a newspaper’s page.”

Yes, the girl is not afraid to air her opinion. Even to journalists.