In a recent interview with FUCHSIA Magazine, Pakistani actor Mawra Hocane got candid about her recent happenings in life, including the arrival of her niece, Jahan Aara Saeed, and her proper foray into comedy with the drama series Let’s Try Mohabbat, alongside co star, Daniyal Zafar. Delving into her character and personal life, Mawra gave a sneak peek at the multifaceted experiences she’s currently navigating.
She confessed that portraying Fiza in the comedy series has been a refreshing challenge and emphasised the complexity of her character, stating, “I have never done comedy before in this way.”
Strong but not tragic
Describing Fiza as an intelligent and outspoken woman who values open communication, the 31-year-old highlighted the novelty of portraying such a role. She elaborated, “I’ve done characters of girls who speak their mind but they are in a more tragic and serious way.”
Mawra furthered on, “But this girl… If I were to describe to you her character in one dialogue, she says, ‘Why don’t people just talk to each other?’ and everyone is like we do that so she insists ‘no one speaks their heart out.’”
As per the Sammi actor, her latest character Fiza “is the one who wants everyone to speak their mind, speak their heart so that no one has anything weighing down on them.” She added, “I don’t think I’ve ever done a character who talks this much.”
Remarking on the certain demeanour typically attributed to strong characters on Pakistan’s small screen, Mawra said, “I think for a character to be empowered, they don’t necessarily have to be serious. I also found a takeaway in the script but a serious one that is imparted in such a light way. So I like that combination.”
Becoming an aunt
When asked about the joy of being an aunt to her sister Urwa Hocane’s child, Aara, Mawra’s eyes sparkled with affection. “It’s lovely! It’s the best feeling in the world… I’ve never felt like this before,” she gushed. Reflecting on her initial moments with baby Aara, she shared, “Holding her for the first time was very overwhelming. I couldn’t believe it so I kept looking at her and Urwa.”
“You know, Urwa and I always say to each other now that we have a third girlfriend now,” she beamed. Amidst the joy of embracing her new role as an aunt, Mawra reassured that her bond with her sister remains unbreakable. She affectionately expressed, “How could I ignore Urwa? I love Aara but Urwa is my heart, I love her the most.”
When asked if the actor has a special name for her beloved niece, she disclosed she tenderly calls her “Aaru Paaru”. However, Mawra has no preference as to what Aara should call her. “When she starts speaking, whatever she comes up with, I want her to call me that.”
Squealing in delight, she further revealed, “Earlier, I considered thinking of a name she should call me. Then I thought, ‘Why should I think of a name? She’ll think of a name.’ Whatever she sees fit… Right now, even when she makes a little sound and I am like ‘Yes, I know, I know.’”
Mawra underscored her close bond with Aara and stated, “She has brought so much happiness into our lives. The joy we are experiencing right now, both families, we didn’t know we were capable of this.”
‘The woman of today’
Returning to her work in Let’s Try Mohabbat, Mawra shared her take on prevailing stereotypes about strong, independent women on screen. She asserted, “We were very mindful of the fact that if a girl is intelligent and speaks her mind, she doesn’t have to be dressed in Western clothes to speak her mind.”
“Of course, there’s nothing with that either but there is a stereotype for these characters,” she clarified. The actor rubbished the notion of Fiza fitting these preset boxes and emphasised the importance of essaying a role with honesty. “I tried to keep it as honest, as real as possible.”
Mawra also challenged stereotypes surrounding independence, asserting that it manifests in various forms and doesn’t necessarily correlate with one’s attire or appearance. “I think there are many kinds of independence but I would like her to be very positively independent. Not something that someone should be afraid of or parents should be worried about,” she contended.
In a poignant reflection on the diversity of women’s experiences, Mawra articulated, “I think there are so many kinds of people in the world. Every character in a drama, even the flawed one, represents some set of people out in the real world.”
Thus, enters the impossibility of representing women as a whole, the Neem actor argued. She opined, “I understand that you wouldn’t like to see it over and over again. I think Fiza also represents a certain kind of people. She can’t represent ‘the woman of today’ because that’s so diverse. How can one person represent ‘the woman of today’?”
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