Different Shades Of Humaima

She is the first Pakistani model to be featured in British Vogue. She has endorsed many brands and made a mark in the film industry with her powerful performances. The unstoppable Humaima Malick talks to GLOSS about her life, movies, B-Town and the latest projects.

Humaima Malick, the Pakistani actress, has made a name for herself in both Pakistani and Indian entertainment industries with some remarkable performances.

Humaima has dabbled in various fields from modelling to acting. Her very first modelling gig was at the age of 14 with Saqib Malik, following which she made her runway debut for Deepak Perwani. In 2015, she was featured in the British Vogue; the only Pakistani to have made it to the magazine as yet.

Malick made her acting debut with the serial Ishq Junoon Deewangi. Having acted in various TV serials, she got her Pakistani film debut in Shoaib Mansoor’s Bol in 2011.

There has been no looking back for the star since then. She has starred in various movies like Shehzad Rafique’s Ishq Khuda, and Asad Ul Haq’s Dekh Magar Pyaar Say, alongside Sikander Rizvi, to name a few.

Like some of our stars, Humaima also crossed borders to explore her opportunities and made her Bollywood debut in 2014 alongside Emraan Hashmi in Raja Natwarlal.

With such an impressive portfolio, Malick has another feather added to the cap as her latest project, also Shaan Shahid’s directorial debut, namely Arth: The Destination that hit the cinemas worldwide on 21st December 2017. The movie is an improvised version of Mahesh Bhatt’s original film of the same name that came out in 1982. The next project in the pipeline for Humaima is Maula Jutt, which is expected to release in 2018.

Having grown up with six siblings, Malick told us that she has always been fond of cleaning and is a neat freak. She is a huge foodie and the responsible one among her siblings, as she has been working for as long as she can remember.

“I have learnt from my experiences and the people that I have met in my life,” Humaima told GLOSS as the interview began.

Individuals who write such harsh comments and make a judgment on people’s lives just by sitting across the screen need to realise that the negative comments can have a huge impact on someone.

Unlike most kids, Malick had different goals growing up. She wanted to participate in beauty pageants and at one point become a cabin crew.

“As I grew up, I realised there is no scope of beauty pageants in Pakistan. Thus I got into modelling.”

Since then, Humaima has worked for various brands like Fair and Lovely, LUX, Pepsi to name a few, but what she wanted was to offer something more to the society, and that is when acting came into the picture.

“Acting gives you room to grow, and it is something that comes from within you,” she said.

“Each role that I play is different and challenging in its own way,” she added, “For one project I would play the role of a bar dancer, and for another, I would be the daughter of a religious preacher; so it is all about exploring your strengths as an actor.”

She believes that as an actor it is important to grow with the experiences in life.

In addition to having some dominant performances in Lollywood, Humaima has made an impact through her performances in Bollywood as well with Raja Natwarlal and Sher.

When asked about her experience in B-Town and how she ended up there, she told us, “Back when BOL came out in 2011. The distribution partner was EROS Entertainment, which is one of the largest entertainment houses in India.”

During the promotions in Mumbai, she was offered a few roles. She signed three films with Vidhu Vinod Chopra, and the rest, as they say, is history.

After Raja Natwarlal, Humaima was a part of Sher starring Sanjay Dutt. “The 45-days shoot for Sher was paused when Sanjay was arrested, but we managed to finish the movie as soon as he got back,” said Humaima. “Working in India made me realise that the Indo-Pak politics is as bad as families fighting among themselves,” she continued.

We asked Humaima about the response she got for her Bollywood debut, as Emraan Hashmi is known for his unconventional roles, which is a little different for the Pakistani culture.

“People’s criticism did bother me in the beginning, but what I have realised over time is that they make me a stronger person. They drive me to do more and push my limits as a professional.”

“I chose Raja Natwarlal because of the script, and the character that gave me a lot of space to do what I do best and grow as an actor,” Humaima answered.

Moving on to her latest project, the most anticipated movies of 2017, Arth: The Destination; Humaima told us that she was hesitant to take up the role as the original is based on Mahesh Bhatt’s affair with Parveen Babi and being on good terms with the Bhatt’s, Malick did not want to be criticised.

“I did not want to be criticised for the role by anyone as I am on good terms with Mahesh Bhatt and his family,” she revealed.

“Shaan kept persuading me to take up the role,” Humaima told.

“It was after a year that I decided togo ahead with the project as a new challenge, as I knew it was going to be a great experience. It would give me a chance to grow and bring something new to the table for the Pakistani industry.” she added.

Media comparisons to the original was a given as Arth was one of the blockbusters back then.

“When I agreed to do the role, Shaan told me that I was not made for the character I played, but the character was made for me,” Humaima said. “This motivated me to play my namesake who is fearless and a little crazy, like me,” she continued.

“Apart from being crazy, my character and I both are very emotional, very spontaneous, dramatic and sometimes even hysterical,” Malick said.

Shot in Lahore, London, Bristol and Scotland, Arth 2 has been a roller coaster for everyone who has been part of the movie.

“Arth has been very challenging and has taken a lot from me; emotionally.”

“I met some amazing people there, who became my family,” she told GLOSS.

“There were times when I did not have scenes to shoot, but the director would call me on the sets to give the energetic vibes.”

Humaima while talking about working with Shaan said, “He has been a mentor to me throughout. From teaching me to feeding me and making me laugh, the experience has been amazing and mesmerising,” She said.

Humaima recalled that every incident on the set is very special to her. “Shaan is an institution himself, and I am fortunate to have worked with him.”

One can only make a difference to their surroundings by being their better versions.

Every senior in the industry has something to teach not only by giving verbal advice but by practically showing the juniors how it is done.

It is evident that people look up to you for influence if you are a celebrity, especially the youth. We all know that shaping the young mind is very important because it is something that stays with them forever, somewhere in the subconscious.

Humaima narrated one such incident where she felt that she made a difference.

“Being very vocal has been a strength for me throughout. At the recent L’Oreal Paris Fashion Week, my team and I were backstage, when a girl yelled my name and hugged me and started crying.”

“Clearly, all of us were confused, but what she said next shook me, and it was really satisfying to know that I did make a difference,” she continued.

“The girl continued sobbing as she told me how I have been an inspiration to her during her tough times in life; thus, knowing that being an inspiration to anyone and positively changing their lives gives you inner peace,” she described.

This incident led us to the conversation where we asked her about celebrities endorsing social causes as seen in other countries, to which she responded, “One can only make a difference to their surroundings by being their better versions.”

“I am the ambassador for Pakistan’s Women Protection Bill that was passed in 2016, I have also been associated with Seed Out, so I think I am doing my part right for the society as an individual.”

“Things like these count as lifetime achievements for me. I feel glad when I see people around me happy. I would say I am a happy soul especially after having experienced the darker side early in my life.”

As we concluded the interview, Humaima advised our readers to stay positive and help each other. She also encouraged everyone to stand up against the wrong, especially cyberbullying. Being a victim herself, she emphasised that people have no right to make another feel bad or hurt them in any way.

“Individuals who write such harsh comments and make a judgment on people’s lives just by sitting across the screen need to realise that the negative comments can have a huge impact on someone.”

“Life is all about being generous, live and let live,” she concluded.