ADJUDGED the Best Model at a recently held awards ceremony, Zainab Qaiyoom, or Zee Q as she is more popularly known, has a difficult time catching up with her thoughts.
A self-confessed compulsive talker, she jumps from describing her favourite movies to her pet books and then back again to movies. Sometimes, when the book has been made into a movie, the two merge and one is not sure if she is talking about her favourite book or her favourite film.
What one can deduce though is that Zee Q’s favourite movie is an “ancient” one called Beaches starring Bette Middler and Barbara Hershey, who are best friends in the film. “It’s a tear-jerker and a chick-flick but I love it”, says Zee Q. “I can see it over and over again. It’s brilliant and so true to life. I think no one has made a better movie.”
Another movie she really likes is Magician’s Tale based on a book. Says she, “I’m really bad with authors’ names although I have done my masters in literature and should be great at remembering them. It’s been written under a male pseudonym, but I am sure the author is a girl. A psycho-thriller, it is about a colourblind girl.”
Zee Q claims she enjoys Indian movies although her favourites vary. “I’ve been a great fan of Yash Johar and Yash Chopra and have seen Silsila like twenty-million times and each time have detected a new angle. I’m kind of obsessive and never watch a movie once — I see them till I know the dialogues by heart. My current hot favourite, until I see the next Shahrukh flick is Mein hoon na. I aspire to act with him one day, even though I know it is an ambitious desire, and would love to be a female Shahrukh Khan.
“Although the songs in Mein hoon na are great, and so was the choreography, it didn’t have a good story. But it’s good to see for kicks. Imagine a school where teachers dressed up like Sushmita! I also loved Masoom with Shabana Azmi and Naseeruddin Shah, although it was a copy of an English movie.”
Zee Q claims she has been fond of reading books since she was three or four and recalls the frustration she had felt when she had received a book of Snow white and the Seven Dwarfs as a birthday gift. She remembers not being able to read the words and had to contend herself by seeing the pictures. She has come a long way since then, working her way through Enid Blyton and Sweet Dream books to Omar Khayyam’s poetry. And says that what Khalil Gibran says in five pages, Omar Khayyam can say in a verse.
Her favourite book though, is White Oleander. Says she “It’s been made into a movie, starring Michelle Pfeiffer. It grabs you from your gut and does violent things to you. I like effective and emotionally violent books that leave you gasping — not psychological thrillers, which I also enjoy — but something that you can totally get into, where you are laughing and crying with the characters. I love writers and directors that can take charge of your imagination.
“I also like Naguib Mahfouz and Stephen King. There is a funny anecdote attached to the latter, in fact. When I was giving my MA entrance interview, they asked me who my favourite author was and when I mentioned Stephen King, they were appalled. I explained that anyone who possesses the power to take over your imagination is fantastic. But they thought he was trash and were aghast at my taste! Not that I haven’t read acclaimed writers — I’ve done my literary tour and read all the classics from Hunchback of Notre Dame to Brothers Karamazov to the Idiot because it was mandatory for me. In fact, I took literature because I felt that although I grew up reading the usual classics such as Treasure Island, Ivanhoe and Little Women I would not be motivated to read serious classics unless at gunpoint. Since I’m an aspiring novelist I believe that I must have a firm grasp on classics and what the great literary giants have written. But, I still feel that Stephen King can hold his own even in front of Charles Dickens!
My favourite book written by him has been co-authored by Peter Straub called the Talisman but apart from that his latest one, Blackhouse is also brilliant.”
As for music, Zee Q states she is into an eclectic mix. “I’ve grown up listening to Kishore Kumar, Lata Mangeshkar, Mukesh, and Saigol as my mom used to listen to them. At the same time, my father used to listen to Beethoven and Mozart and the Scottish military band, so my taste has become very kaleidoscopic. I also love to listen to Tina Sani singing Faiz, Nayyara Noor singing Faiz and Habib Wali Mohammed. I enjoy Strings, so much so that Chaaye Chaaye was my mobile phone ringer tone. Junoon’s great too — Tara Jala is also one of my favourite songs, though nowadays it’s Mein hoon na. Also Jaal’s Aadat is fantastic and Fuzon is amazing as well. I think our pop music is mind-blowing and it’s great that it’s going global.”
Her taste in music doesn’t end there. She continues “I also love to listen to Jazz. Nora Jones is great too, but after the first two songs you feel it all sounds the same — like a lullaby. But there’s nothing like the old seventies music and that’s why I love Ali Zafar, although he insists that he doesn’t copy Kishore, he sure sounds just like him.
It’s good to see these bachas doing so well and sky-rocketing to fame. And of course, last but not least I love the songs in the musicals that I grew up watching — I’ve been obsessed since then — such as Mary Poppins, Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, Sound of Music and My Fair Lady.
ADJUDGED the Best Model at a recently held awards ceremony, Zainab Qaiyoom, or Zee Q as she is more popularly known, has a difficult time catching up with her thoughts.
