Sania Saeed's riveting play, Mein Adakara Bannugi has been attracting large crowds at the Arts Council of Pakistan since its premiere on August 8.

Below, Sania talks about acting, her dreams and inspirations.

Q: How do you define acting?

Sania Saeed (SS): Acting is not only about the craft. It’s about how you treat the person that you are playing. So when you say that somebody is very natural, it’s only because they treat the person they are playing as real, and both actor and the character give a small part of themselves to each other. That’s my theory.

Q: You have bagged many prestigious awards. What’s your dream?

SS: I was never very ambitious. So my dreams were not about awards and projects. I am very happy with what I am doing. It’s an uphill task. I am aware of the reality, but that is what makes me who I am – so no dreams as such. I just keep doing what I am doing and take things as they come.

Q: Have we made any progress in people’s theatre?

SS: People’s theatre will always be effective when it’s part of a political movement. I don’t want to undermine the impact of isolated, individual efforts, but without a movement backing it, it may not have the same power. A lot of human rights organisations and others are using community theatre, which is a great exercise. I am hoping that it will build overtime.

Q: Do you think we should have a cultural exchange between Pakistan and the Russian federation as it will help our artists learn from the experiences of Russian theatre directors and film makers?

SS: Cultural exchange should happen for all levels with all countries. But that takes work. You need methods for it, you need mechanics and willingness of the government, and for that you have to develop arts within the country first, which requires political will. The last thing the government bothers about is culture. Your puppetry is dying, your local indigenous instruments are dying. Some of them are already dead. Your folk singers have no platform. Your urban-rural divide has created a vast cultural gap. The only thing this country has is cuisine – the food festivals.

Q: How do you compare the cultural scene in Pakistan to that of India?

SS: I don’t think there is any comparison. The language is the same. Our history before the last 60 years is the same. However, the different political lines that the two countries have led has changed the cultural scenario. You see fewer poets, fewer writers and almost non-existent theatre writers in Pakistan, and you will see very few people talking about the current socio-political conditions. There is little or no research and no record keeping, whereas in India there is a continuous effort. They may be in small groups, but they're consistent.

Q: Which authors inspire you?

SS: Brecht, Willy Russell, Manto and Garcia have inspired me.