The leading female actors of Arth – The Destination: Uzma Hassan and Humaima Malick, shed light on various aspects of art, their experience as an artist in Pakistan’s film industry as well as abroad, and working with Shaan Shahid on the set of Arth – The Destination, in particular.

"There are no boundaries when it comes to art. We both have worked in India, and we were loved equally in both the countries. They appreciated and respected our talent; and that's how it should be; no politics should come in the way of art," said Uzma Hassan on the subject.

Both the actresses also highlighted the importance of passion and love for work by demonstrating through the experiences in their careers outside Pakistan. They comparatively analysed the difference of work ethics between Pakistan, Bangkok, Bangladesh and India. Uzma Hassan, a theatre artist, who visits India twice a year for her theatrical performances, spoke on the subject, “Indians value art; they consider it as a part of their culture; they don’t slack behind debating over what’s right and wrong,” while Humaima continued, “and they know their job well; they work hard and in unity; they wake up in the morning with the same enthusiasm about their job as they would have a day before, no matter how petty their job may seem outwardly; and this is what attracts us the most as artists.”

In the remake of Mahesh Bhatt’s cult-classic Arth, Shaan—the director of the remake—took an opportunity to portray the story and the characters in the light of modern times, said Uzma. She continued by explaining the importance of improvisation in art which caters to keep the realistic side of life intact in art.

“When you are working with Shaan, you have the privilege to be both—the artist and the real person that you are behind that mask of the character you’re playing. And given the demands of this film, we had to be ourselves and channel that originality in our acting – which, in fact, wasn’t easy!” conversed the artists at the platform of LUMS. “You cannot exactly study acting. You’re either born with it or you don’t have it,” added Humaima while explaining the difficulties she had to go through to enter in the film industry.

Apart from reflecting over culture and art, these actors also gave some tips of acting to the interested audience at LUMS, followed by a sneak peek at what their characters would be like in the film Arth – The Destination. They discussed how their characters are reflective of their actual selves – the reason this film is truly dear to both of them. The movie mainly circles around the lives of two women—Uzma Hassan and Humaima Malick—the paths they choose and the destination they reach, and how in this trajectory, their lives evolve.

The film is expected to be released worldwide in cinemas on December 21st, 2017.

Photo Credits: Anam Saeed