The Hindu : New Delhi News : For a friendly match on screen

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Monday, Nov 05, 2007
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New Delhi

New Delhi

For a friendly match on screen

Photo: V.V. Krishnan

All smiles: Actor Reema Khan in New Delhi.

Reema Khan , who has won three national awards in Pakistan, wants films on both sides of the border to contribute towards peace, says Smriti Kak Ramachandran…

Pakistani cinema’s leading lady Reema Khan believes that if stars from India and Pakistan are cast together, the film would generate excitement comparable to the frenzy generated during a cricket match between the two countries.

“If there are stars like Shah Rukh Khan, Aishwarya Rai, Priety Zinta from India and Shaan, Reema and Rana from Pakistan, the film will be as exciting as a cricket match. Everyone will want to see and comment on who performed the best,” says the actor who was here in the Capital this past week for the South Asian Film Festival. Reema, who is the recipient of three national awards in her home country, wants the film industries on both sides of the border to contribute towards the peace building measures.

Pointing out that she was the first actor to take part in the peace process, Reema sees herself as a crusader for harmony in the region. “Wars and violence have never helped anyone. What we want today is peace, friendship, and warmth. People, artists and thinkers from both sides should come together to pave way for a stronger South Asia.”

The talented actor, who wants the two neighbours to join forces to fight illiteracy and poverty, chooses to remain silent on the political situation within Pakistan. “I just want to say, we have seen a lot of violence in the past, it is time to look ahead with optimism. I do not believe in pessimism. I want peace for us and the whole world,” says the actor from Lahore.

Switching tracks

Switching tracks from politics to films, she is at her exuberant best when she describes her interaction with actors and film makers from India.

“I have been fortunate to have been compared to Madhuri Dixit and Aishwarya Rai. People have appreciated by acting and my dancing skills. Earlier when I was offered work, I was not sure what turn the relations between the two countries will take, but now I am open to the idea.” The actor whose directorial debut was a success at the box-office is also an accomplished dancer, having performed at stage shows with the Indian actors abroad. Referring to her counterparts who have worked in Hindi films, Reema says the actors would have fared better had they honed their dancing skills. “It is important to be able to dance. I am not a trained dancer, for me it is God’s gift. Several actors and filmmakers like Rakesh Roshan have appreciated my dance and have been very liberal in their praise,” she points out.

A self-confessed fan of Vyajanthimala and Dileep Kumar, she regrets that while Hindi movies are fast adapting the “western ways”, they are no longer “catering to the middle class sensibilities.”

“People still want to see cultural values in films, they want to see dignity and grace in the way the actors dress and perform,” says Reema who is fascinated by the Indian sari. Touched by the affection and the warm reception that greeted her in the city, the actor who also wields the pen will have Delhi as the subject of her next piece.

“I really like Delhi. I have been to Mumbai, but I think people in Delhi are far more humble and their moods are as beautiful as the changing seasons of the city.”

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