The Canadian born, UK based; Armeena Rana Khan is the new face of Pakistan entertainment industry. Blessed with excellent acting skills the beautiful and talented actor has managed to carve a niche for herself in showbiz industry. She started her acting career in drama serial ‘Shab-e-Arzoo Ka Alam’, which was a big hit. She is all set to make her debut on the silver screen in upcoming film Bin Roye, which will be released on Eidul Fitr and has created a lot of buzz.

Armeena in an exclusive interview with Sunday Plus talked about her life, career and her upcoming projects. She is humble, modest and down to earth. Her family lives in UK. Her father is a civil engineer and her mother is a designer and housewife. They are four siblings. She is a business graduate and has a real estate business in UK. She developed a liking to act in plays. She took acting classes to hone her acting skills. She was finally able to make inroads in the entertainment industry due to her hard work and talent.

“I think to be an actor was my destiny. I used to do modeling for a UK magazine. There was a director in Birmingham, who asked me to do a music video for a Pakistani song. I did that just for an adventure. I also acted in an Indian movie. It was an art film, which was released in 2011,” Armeena said.

Armeena has worked in four plays of Pakistan TV industry. She said she had a wonderful experience of working with the Bin Roye team. “We have been working on this project for the last two years. When I signed Bin Roye, it was my second project in Pakistan. I was interviewed for it four times. At first I was not sure I would be considered for the role or would it suit me or not. It was a very good learning experience for us and for Hum TV as it is their first film. It’s a very family oriented film. Its shows colours and culture of Pakistan. I play the role of Sanam, who will be Humayun’s first love. The character of Sanam is very sweet, angelic and sacrificing. Just wait and see the film. I am sure you will be touched. The film was shot in different countries. All the cast and crew worked hard and everyone was very supportive on sets,” Armeena said.

She also said that she loves to work with senior actors. “It feels so good when I work with them. They share their experiences of late 80s and 90s when there was only one channel and few plays. They are so professional that I think young generation can learn a lot of things from them,” she stated.

Armeena said Pakistani actors were so resilient that they could work in all situations and sometime with few facilities.

Talking about her projects, she said she was only taking up two projects in a year as she was very selective. “For plays my main consideration is script. If I like the script then I ask about the director and the team. For me, director is very important. I use to take directions because I think due to cultural change I could miss things so director’s input is very important.

“Plays are on hold right now due to films. Secondly I work not only in Pakistan but also in UK. Some producers there have approached me for work,” she said.

When asked about working in Bollywood Armeena said that it was a bit risky. “I don’t say that I will reject the project but scripts should be good. And it should not go against my principles,” she was of the view.  

The actor said she had signed Reham Khan’s first movie project. The writer of the movie is Usman Khalid Butt.

Armeena said it was a surprise for her family to know that she was joining showbiz. “In my family there are doctors and lawyers. It was surprising at first. Sometimes I couldn’t meet my parents for months. When I shoot plays I live totally alone because I don’t have any family in Karachi. I do have friends but sometimes they are also busy. I rarely go to events,” she said.

Besides acting, Armeena loves to travel. “I like to explore the world. I believe when you travel and meet different people your perceptions about many things change. For me traveling is very important and I gain experience. I can’t stay at one place for more than a few months,” she explained.

About her diet and the secret of her beauty she said that goes to gym regularly and has special diet maintaining fitness. “I usually take green vegetables, fruits and drink a lot of water. I don’t eat junk food,” she revealed.

For Armeena time is very important and she comes to Pakistan only for the projects. “My father taught me one thing that time stops for no one so utilize every moment because life is very small. I don’t want to waste my time,” she was of the view.

Bridal and traditional wear clothes attract Armeena.  She admires all the Pakistani fashion designers and especially the collections which were showcased at Telenor Bridal Couture week. She loved the dresses of Sania Makatiya and Elan which she wore on the ramp.

Talking about her dream project she said that she wanted to play the role of a powerful woman or some historical figure. “I want to show women empowerment through my character. I don’t like to play emotional characters,” she said.

When asked about things that her fans did not know about, the actor people did not know that she was an animal lover. “I have cats. I love to paint and I am also an artiste,” Armeena revealed.

Armeena is very active on the social media. She herself handles her social pages. She interacts directly with her fans as she feels since they have made her popular so she owed them respect and love in return and should give them time.

She is full of gratitude for all the people in the industry who supported her. “Without their support I would not have been able to give my best,” Armeena maintained.