An evening with Meera

Born in Lahore, Meera received her early education from St Mary’s School in Sheikhupura. She embarked on her voyage of glamour and fame by appearing as a model in a TV commercial in 1994, and got a niche in the showbiz with the film ‘Miss Istanbul’ in 1996.
She has successfully demonstrated her appreciable performance in many Urdu, Punjabi and Hindi films, including ‘Dunya Hai Dil Waalon Ki’, ‘Khilona’, ‘Salaakhein’, ‘Khoey Ho Tum Kahaan’, and ‘Inteha’. She has also been praised for her impressive acting on the small screen. Apart from winning the Best Actress Award 10 times, she has to her credit the Lux Style Award for the Most Beautiful Face in 2007.
Her recent visit to Karachi provided me an opportunity to have a detailed conversation with her. Talking about her early life, Meera said that she was born in Lahore, but shifted to Sheikhupura later on. “My father Syed Sarwar Shah was an architect, whereas my mother Syeda Shafqat Zehra was an educationist,” she added. She started her education in Lahore, but after migrating to Sheikhupura, she passed her Matriculation from St Mary’s School.
Her most memorable films include ‘Chhanta’, ‘Miss Istanbul’, ‘Chief Sahib’, ‘Hawaaein’, ‘Khilona’, ‘Dunya Hai Dil Waalon Ki’, ‘Inteha’, ‘Billi’, ‘Khoey Ho Tum Kahaan’, ‘Chalo Ishq Laraaein’, ‘Pyaar Hi Pyaar Mein’, ‘Salaakhein’, ‘Kasak’, ‘Nazar’, ‘Fire’, ‘Khuley Aasmaan Key Neechay’, and ‘God Father.’
“I am now focusing on television entertainment because people watch TV more than cinema. Moreover, the local cinema industry is declining day by day and is struggling hard to produce films on appreciable and worthy scripts as well as socially strong subjects,” she said. She is very much satisfied with her performance on TV and enjoys the soothing environment. Moreover, she has always wished working on social themes and on ordinary people’s everyday issues.
“Such serials and plays are providing me with much better opportunities to fulfil this long-cherished desire,” she added. Meera said that her focusing more on TV entertainment does not mean she is leaving the cinema or abandoning it in a crisis. “I shall continue working for good subjects on the big screen. I shall definitely fulfil my responsibility to help the industry out of the present crisis as it has made me famous. It is my mother institution, and I have learnt a lot from it and owe it a great deal,” she added.
Talking about her upcoming TV serial ‘Husan Ara Kaun?’, she said that the play is a sequel to the already successful serial ‘Husna Aur Husan Ara’. “That play depicted a very true picture of our domestic problems and the injustices being done to our women. As it was appreciated a lot by all and sundry in general and by women in particular, the whole team decided to make a sequel. We are very much optimistic about it and hope that it will impress the drama viewers a lot,” she added.
Talking about her role, she said that she had been selected by the director for the character of Husan Ara because she was very much enthusiastic to do something for the uplift of the backward status of women in the feudal areas.
“This serial tells the story of a daring girl who despite being from Bazar-e-Husan (brothel), despises prostitution and somehow manages to reach a feudal lord’s house in the guise of a maid and then fights against all odds to emancipate women from a very long socio-political slavery,” she added.
When asked about her plans to work for the flood survivors, Meera said that she is going to adopt a village to modernise it with exemplary facilities. “The basic units of our society are our small villages and towns where the major portion of our society resides. If we provide them a standard lifestyle with proper health and education facilities, they will definitely become a precious asset to the society and play their role to set the country on the path of progress,” she added.
When this scribe asked about her pending Indian films ‘Jhansi Ki Rani’, ‘Murder at Farm House’ and ‘Simran’, she said that these films are in the pipeline. “Due to some technical reasons, these films are taking time, but it does not mean they have been shelved. My fans should look forward to these projects,” she added. She said that she wants her fans to respect artistes and appreciate their performances.
“Their admiration and respect matters a lot to artistes. They should love their own culture and literary heritage,” she added.