Reema focusing on personal life despite Oscar aspirations The Newspapers Staff Reporter KARACHI: “I am trying to balance my personal life with my professional ambitions and hopefully someday will direct a film that will be nominated for the Oscars,” said film actor and director Reema Khan at a meet-the-press programme organised by the culture committee of the Karachi Press Club on Wednesday. Visiting Karachi to participate in activities initiated by a multinational company, Ms Khan said she had joined hands with the company to endorse their hygiene drive on the upcoming Eidul Azha occasion. “I will be doing similar activities in Lahore as well,” said the actor, dressed in the brand’s red colour. Paying tribute to journalists, she said she recorded an episode of her TV programme, Reema ka Amreeka, at the US Journalism Museum where seven slain Pakistani journalists had been memorialised. “I did my show standing in front of the photograph of Wali Khan Babar and hoped that someday those Pakistani journalists who are living and have made considerable achievements in their field will be eulogised at the museum.” Discussing more about her travel show that saw her journeying across the US, she said she undertook the venture when she got married to Dr Syed Tariq Shahab and moved to the land of promise. “Through this show I came to know about both the positive and negative aspects of the Americans. I also attempted to make them understand that just because one person does a terrorist act it does not mean that the entire community has such a mindset.” She added that she met both anti- and pro-Pakistan US lawmakers along with former Pakistani ambassadors to the US, Sherry Rehman and Husain Haqqani. Indeed, Mr Haqqani had re-plugged her show featuring his views on Twitter, but she rued the fact that not many people could watch her show here due to loadshedding. The articulate actor clarified the recent controversy pertaining to the walking out of Indian poet Muqtida Hasan Nida Fazli from a mushaira that she was hosting. “I am glad I have been asked this question. Journalists don’t realise that when they print such news without verification they not only harm our name but their country’s name on an international platform. I was hosting the gathering since I have an affinity towards the arts, particularly poetry. There was no boycott as such; the poet had just stepped out for a break that was misconstrued as a walkout. In fact he stayed there till the very end.” Ms Khan, who has also directed two films Koi Tujh Sa Kahaan and Love Mein Ghum, was asked to comment about the screening of latest Pakistani films and her future directorial ventures. “I am happy to note that the initiative that I had taken to get a major MNC to sponsor my movie Love Mein Ghum is now being followed by others such as Tarang that sponsored five films. I am glad my mission is moving forward.” She said that since she had recently been married she wanted to concentrate on her marriage for the time being and would eventually take up large-scale projects and hopefully someday earn a nomination for the Oscars.
Posted on: Sat, 30 Nov 2013 22:37:57 +0000