ZEBA Bakhtiar’s taste in movies, music and books is very selective and she only appreciates those works of art that are ‘beautiful and visually appealing’ because she ‘doesn’t like ‘ugliness’.
Starting off with the world of cinema, she claims to be a great movie fan, particularly of art films, and also enjoys anything that’s humorous. She keeps herself away from horror pictures and says that cinema should either be meaningful or should be something that an entire family could enjoy watching.
Being a big fan of art movies she particularly likes Guru Dutt’s work and says that in all his movies, bitter realities of life are very well portrayed. But she only likes such work given it is aesthetically presented, which is somewhat a restatement of the fact that she ‘doesn’t like ugliness’.
Surprisingly she likes Smita Patel more than Shabana Azmi for her work in Indian parallel cinema. She mentions Smita’s evergreen movie ‘Bazaar’ which is very situational and is so true-to-life that one can instantly relate to the movie. The slow and somewhat dull story is very beautifully presented throughout. “I don’t like movies that are artificially made to appear larger than life or are morbid,” she opines.
Zeba watches so many movies and feels that it is somewhat very difficult for her to name only a few of her favourites. However she narrowed down her choice to “Gone with the wind”. She particularly likes the film because of its finely etched out characterization and the theme of perseverance.
When questioned about Pakistani films, Zeba immediately questions backs that “are there any worthy Pakistani movies to watch these days?” How true. Among her own movies she picks out Raj Kapoor’s ‘Henna’ not only because it was a wonderful learning experience for her but also because the drama throughout has been crafted in such a way that it keeps the cine-goers interested in the film till the very end.
She doesn’t draw any distinctions between different genres of music and says that she likes all kinds of music — from pure classical compositions to the foot-tapping Abrarul Haq numbers. Among the classical musicians, she is a fan of Ustad Raees Khan and according to her “Zakir Hussain” is simply amazing. From the Bollywood quarter Zeba only likes the old-time classics and comments that the latest breed of songs in the commercial Indian cinema lacks the content and originality compared to the compositions made in the past.
“You see, I am not much of a music fan, I just listen to it when it is being played in the car or simply to uplift my mood,” she confesses. When she feels like changing her mood or take her mind off the work she’s immersed in, Zeba listens to Madam Noor Jehan or some fast-paced track.
This multifaceted actress likes to read a lot. Zeba explains that she prefers reading books that are technical or philosophical, for examples the ones based on cinematography etc. She also enjoys fiction when she is in the mood to unwind and relax.
She admires Ghalib for the cynicism that he has put into his work. Zeba also appreciates the work of Faiz Ahmed Faiz and Parveen Shakir for their unmatched style and command over writing. She reads short stories and plays on a regular basis too. “I have read so many books that I easily cannot pick out any one as my favourite.”
The entertainment industry of Pakistan has seen Zeba transform from being a very sweet young girl into a charmingly mature actress. Despite being surrounded by several controversies, she stood up against all odds and is still going great. “Nowadays I am doing TV productions. This would keep me busy for the next few months. I have no long-term plans, as I never plan for the future in advance. I only cross the bridge when I come to it.”
ZEBA Bakhtiar’s taste in movies, music and books is very selective and she only appreciates those works of art that are ‘beautiful and visually appealing’ because she ‘doesn’t like ‘ugliness’.
