Catching up with Humaima Malick

As Humaima Malick celebrated her birthday yesterday, Something Haute decided to catch up with the star whose fame has skyrocketed ever since she delivered an unforgettable performance in Shoaib Mansoor’s Bol. And while Humaima is one of Pakistan’s favourite and most well known stars, her appearance in Asad Ul Haq’s Dekh Magar Pyaar Say last year wasn’t enough to save the film from tanking at the box office.

“There are some good films and there a few bad ones. You never know what may work. Usually, I give a year to one project and I thoroughly go through the script before signing it,” Humaima revealed while speaking to SH on what may have gone wrong. “I looked beautiful in Dekh Magar Pyaar Say. The director gave his heart and soul to the film. We had brilliant music, breathtaking aesthetics. The industry is just growing and shaping up right now. We must give it some time.”

However, that did not stop Humaima from contributing to the boom of local cinema as she has just wrapped up shooting for Arth’s remake, titled Arth 2. While the original blockbuster film, featuring Shabana Azmi and Smita Patil, was made by Mahesh Bhatt, Arth 2 will be directed by Shaan Shahid and will be set in modern times, with a Pakistani flavour.

“Every moment that I spent on the sets of Arth 2 is cherish-worthy,” she recalls. “I learnt so many new and exciting things over the process of shooting, especially from our director, since he is also an actor himself.”

While the film was announced early in 2014 with a photo-shoot that featured the four leads – Humaima, Shaan, Humayun Saeed and Uzma Hassan; due to unknown reasons Mohib Mirza came on board replacing the Jawani Phir Nahi Ani actor.

“It was just a shoot that we shot. I have no clue of whether Humayun was actually a part of the film,” Humaima confesses. “Every industry around the globe does a shoot test before going on floors; just to see how the characters gel in. We did the same. However, when we started shooting, the cameras stopped rolling exactly according to the schedule.”

Having played an array of characters on-screen, Humaima discloses that she stepped outside of her comfort zone while shooting her portions in the film. “It’s a very challenging role for me since I never like repeating the same kind of characters in more than one project,” she stated. “Shaan once told me that the role has been customized for me which laid great responsibility on my shoulders. I’ve given my fullest and it will undoubtedly add a new shade to my acting capabilities.”

The first spell of Arth 2 was solely shot in the heart of Pakistan, Lahore, whereas the second leg of its shoot was completed in London. Humaima expressed: “London is like a second home to me. I have family there and spend most of my year there too.”

What made her trip all the more exciting was her meeting with English singer and songwriter, Matt Goss. “Matt is a thorough gentleman and an inspiration to me. He’s a very special friend of mine, and I would like to keep it personal.”

How can one forget Humaima’s much talked about foray into Bollywood, starring opposite Emraan Hashmi in the crime-drama, Raja Natwarlal, in which the alluring actress fit into the shoes of a bar dancer perfectly. We asked her to comment on the on the ongoing Indo-Pak tension post the Uri attack, to which she succinctly replied: “Humanity is above everything.”

However, Humaima was expected to debut in B-town with another film, playing Sanjay Dutt’s on-screen wife in the action-thriller Sher, but Dutt got arrested and the film was delayed. If rumours are anything to go by, the film might just see the light of day soon. When asked for the latest update on the matter, the actress stated, “I would rather let the officials announce it before I can comment.”

Arth 2 is slated for release in the first quarter of 2017, as its post-production is being done at the prestigious Pinewood Studios known for working on the best British productions, including the James Bond films. This makes it the first ever Pakistani movie to reach there!

Keeping her lips sealed on what she next has in store for her followers, the actress did disclose that she has already locked a deal for two major cinematic extravaganzas which will go on floors soon and we can’t wait because we love watching Humaima dazzle her magic on screen.