Saba Qamar was among the host of top Pakistani stars that Zindagi, the TV channel with cross-border content, had introduced to Indian audiences almost a decade ago. The actress, best known in India for starring alongside Irrfan Khan in Hindi Medium, speaks to t2 about Mrs & Mr Shameem, her latest venture, a Zindagi original, now streaming on Zee5.

When did you realise you wanted to be an actor?

I was born with the acting bug! I used to dance to the songs of Khalnayak, like Madhuri Dixit, behind closed doors on coming back from school. I love to dance! But there is not much scope for dance here (in Pakistan); people don’t like it so much. Toh humne acting aur modelling ka sahara liya.

Indian audiences first saw you in the social drama 'Maat' which had aired on Zindagi in 2014. Now that 'Mrs & Mr Shameem' has started streaming on Zee5, what kind of feedback are you getting from India?

I am getting loads of messages on social media. Thank you for the love and appreciation.

Are you upset that audiences in Pakistan cannot see the show because of the 2020 ban in Pakistan on online payment for Indian content?

We are working on it. They will get to see it soon, Inshaallah.

It was a different environment around 2014-17, with so many Indo-Pak collaborations happening on screen. Alongside your film 'Hindi Medium', 'Raees' released with Mahira Khan, Fawad Khan became a heartthrob with 'Ae Dil Hai Mushkil', 'Khoobsurat'... Are you hopeful of a return to such times?

Of course! Woh din nahin rahein, toh yeh din bhi nahin rahenge. Inshallah, Allah behtar karega. I am a positive person. Covid ke baad logon ne seekh liya hai ke hamare paas pyar dene ke ilawa kuchh bhi nahin hai, aur hona bhi nahin chahiye.

You launched your YouTube channel during lockdown.

Haan. In the initial days, everything was uncertain. Future ka kuchh pata nahin tha. Shuru shuru mein itna khauf, itna dar tha. We were feeling claustrophobic, ghar ke bahar nahin jaa sakte. Panic attacks hota tha. My team told me let’s make something fun, but I thought I should make something I feel right now. Mera problem doosre insaan ke bhi problem hai. My first episode was on isolation. People loved my content. Mera bachcha hai mera channel. I will show there what Saba Qamar feels, jaise main hoon.

Another beautiful short film posted last year on your channel was titled 'Break the stereotype'. Your new show 'Mrs & Mr Shameem' is also about breaking stereotypes, isn’t it?

Yes. Mr Shameem’s character (played by Naumaan Ijaz) has many layers. He is not gay, not transgender. He is a bit feminine. In our society, such men are not respected. They are not treated as mard. Par asal mard toh woh hai jo aurat ko izzat dena jante hai, pyar karna jante hai, unki chhoti chhoti cheezon ka khayal rakhta hai. Our society needs to understand them.

What about Umaina, your character in the show?

Umaina is a wild child. She is fearless, full of fun, vibrant and a little stupid. Initially her head is in the air, in the world of dreams. Like many young women, her inspirations are the movies. Once she experiences life, she undersands reality is something else. Shameem’s unconditional love and her unconventional relationship with Shameem teach her a lot.

When I was shooting the film (Hindi Medium) in Delhi, badi Id aa gayi. Hamare yahan padosi se eidi (Id gift) milti hai. But I was on shoot, away from home. So I told Irrfan: ‘Mujhe toh eidi chahiye’. He said: ‘Haan haan, main deta hoon’. He took a (Rs) 500 ka note and wrote Id mubarak on it and gave it to me. It was a nice gesture

The show is in 20 episodes. When did you shoot for it?

We started shooting in 2019. It took two years. Our director Kashif bhai (Nisar) likes to work in great detail. We worked very hard on it. I put my heart and soul into this character. Umaina passes through so many phases. I had started living this character. I used to get into depression when she went into depression. My family could see it. The trailer shows her happy side. But that is not all.

There’s a line you utter in the trailer as Umaina, that you were trapped in love for a man who would lift you easily with one hand and then hit you to the ground with equal ease.

When girls like Umaina who do not know what relationship is, who get abandoned by their boyfriends, have men like Shameem — misfits in society — coming into their lives, they understand what true love and respect mean. It’s a different kind of love story. Eventually she realises that earlier she was living in a bubble and that this is true love. The show will change many people’s viewpoints on effeminate men.

It’s been five years since the release of 'Hindi Medium'. What are your memories of working with Irrfan Khan?

I had an amazing experince. He was a gem of a person. I enjoyed working in India. When I was shooting the film in Delhi, badi Id aa gayi. Hamare yahan padosi se eidi (Id gift) milti hai. But I was on shoot, away from home. So I told Irrfan: ‘Mujhe toh eidi chahiye’. He said: ‘Haan haan, main deta hoon’. He took a (Rs) 500 ka note and wrote Id mubarak on it and gave it to me. It was a nice gesture. He was such a fun person, sara din hasi mazaak! He could laugh in one moment and cry in another. Usey zyada rehearsal ki aadat nahi thi. We didn’t rehearse a single scene. We actors prepare so much. But he believed a lot in the magic that is created in the moment. That is something I learnt from him. At that point, I was confused. In fact, I was thinking ki yeh mere zindagi ka sab se bura kaam hai.

'Tamasha' director Imtiaz Ali

But that film received as much critical acclaim as box-office success!

Yes. So many directors and actors, like Amrita Singh, messaged and called me. Even Vidya Balan called me! I thought meri toh career safal ho gaya, Vidya Balan meri taarif ki! I had received the greatest compliment possible. Iss ke baad main aur kaam na karoon toh chalega!

In recent years, which Indian films have you liked?

We follow all the work that you do, movies aur shows, sab chalta hai Pakistan mein. The scripts, performances and issues that you are discussing.... In recent times, I really liked Tamasha. I am a big fan of Imtiaz Ali’s cinema. I really like dark, gripping movies. There is an incomplete soul in his films, I really like that adhurapan.

Your first milestone work 'Jinnah ke Naam' released in 2007. How do you look back at the Saba Qamar who had started on this journey 15 years ago?

At that time, I didn’t have so much understanding. Like Umaina, Saba has also learnt a lot. I have changed traits in my personality that people did not appreciate and I have evolved as a better human being. Who knew I’d become such an intense actress!