Thursday, February 13, 2020

Meera – A Star in Oblivion

By Hamza Shafique (Instagram / Facebook)

Meera with Husband at PISA 2020

Last weekend (7th Feb 2020) we had Pakistan International Screen Awards 2020 the inaugural event in Dubai and it was a big success in many ways. The biggest success element for me was PISA 2020’s ability to bring so many stars from different eras of Pakistan entertainment industry together.
90’s super star and in many ways still one of the biggest crowd pullers of Pakistani Industry, Meera was also in attendance. She was also nominated in Best Actress category for her 2019 release film ‘Baaji’. She was the first one on the red carpet, stayed throughout the event and styled by Rao Ali Khan in outfits by Aleena Fareena, Asma Munir and HSY was one of the best dressed of the night as well.

Meera, Mahira Khan and
Shehryar Munawar at PISA 2020
I got the chance to have a casual conversation with Meera ji in Capital city lounge at PISA 2020 who was there with her better half and I must say during our conversation I was stunned by her naivety more than her beauty/stardom. She appeared to me as a person who is not aware of her true star power and stuck in 90’s idea of Lollywood. Her attitude and grace on the red carpet could match any big star of not only Pakistan entertainment industry but Bollywood aswell yet she seemed unaware of her true worth. When we were in the lounge, I saw a casual, more human version of her and while chatting she asked me to write about the fact that she is not getting offers appropriate for her age and help clear the confusion surrounding her age. Meera highlighted that she is 85 born and she was only 10 years old when she filmed for Chief Saheb.

 I am not going to dispute her claim neither comment on it. But I really wanted to tell her that, the days when a film required a heroine who was young, pretty and could dance are gone. Film heroines are no longer required to be single and hide their marriages or need to be young or white. Now It’s the age of film actresses rather heroines, where their performance matters more than their looks and dancing skills. Our current superstar Mahira Khan is a mid-30s divorcee with a Son and none of it matters because whenever she is on screen it’s her acting talent that shines. If Meera starts to evaluate herself in this format, then her age whether its 1977 or 1985 will not matter. She is a very talented actress and with right focus and guidance with her existing star power has the ability to make a comeback on the likes of Sri Devi and Ashwarya Rai and can claim her stardom back. But I was so star stuck that I couldnt tell her all that, we did chat a bit more about the event and her upcoming projects. She stayed casual throughout the conversation and mentioned several times that it's not easy being her and her work/life is very demanding. I dont blame her, the kind of media scrutiny she went through, any one would break down and it is definitely not easy being her. She was really there to support the industry and it showed , I wish her best of luck for upcoming projects and hope she gets the right guidance and meet the right people who help her realize her true potential.

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