Singer, VJ, actor and television host, Komal Rizvi is one lively person who has the time to pursue her career as well as her hobbies. She asserts she loves to read, watch movies and listen to music and it seems she manages to do all three on a regular basis.
Says Komal: “I’m a huge movie buff and watch movies very often. However, I don’t like depressing movies. I feel movies are made for entertainment and should be light-hearted with happy endings. At the same time, I don’t like dumb comedies, like American Pie, either. Give me romantic comedies any day. I am also into sci-fi movies, action films, thrillers and animated films.”
However, when Komal names some of the films she has enjoyed, they surprisingly include a few — like Life is Beautiful, Irreversible, Brave Heart and Shawshank Redemption — that can hardly be described as “light-hearted”. Admits Komal: “I was depressed for five or six days after seeing these movies and wouldn’t see them again out of choice. They made me turn green. But, the fact is that these movies are fantastic from the director’s and editor’s point of view.”
Among the movies that Komal mentions she would deliberately seek out over and over again are Bridges of Madison County, Legends of the Fall, Independence Day, Meet Joe Black and Titanic. In fact says Komal: “I saw Titanic 13 times, and each time I cried. My friends thought I was pathetic!” When asked how she managed to watch a film with a tragic end, so many times and still enjoy it, Komal justifies: “But that’s such a romantic movie. I’m a romantic at heart so I didn’t mind seeing it over and over again.” Similarly, she says she cried in Meet Joe Black from the beginning to the end, but loved it, nonetheless. Komal says she finds super-hero films, like Batman, entertaining as well, but is quite sick of the Star War Series.
That is not to say that Komal doesn’t watch Indian movies. She has her Indian favourites too, such as Naseeb, Amar, Akbar, Antony, Namak Halal, Shan, Dil Wallay Dulhanya Lay Jaingay, Dil Hai Kay Manta Hi Nahin and Munna Bhai MBBS. The films she says she doesn’t like include Sholay, “because Amitabh dies in the end” and Kabhi Kabhi and Silsila “because they were sad”. For the same reason she says she would never see Dev Das twice.
With a varied taste in music, Komal knows precisely which kind of music she does not like. Says she: “I am not fond of heavy metal, trance or disco music. I like R & B, pop ballads, light rock and hip hop.” Komal also mentions that among her favourite bands and singers are Lisehouse, Erykah Badu and Maroon 5.
She says she loves the first albums of Corrs and No Doubt. Komal raves about Madonna as well, and states: “She is a genius. Madonna can create and recreate herself in so many different ways. Although her voice is not special, she packages it in an amazing manner.”
Another singer Komal enjoys listening to is Mariah Carey, whose first two or three albums she says she likes a lot. However, she is quick to add that she finds her “more commercialized now.”
As for Indian music, surprisingly, it is old Indian music that Komal enjoys rather than the modern songs. Says she “I’ve grown up in a music-oriented household, so have been exposed to the renditions of the likes of Mukesh, R.D. Burman and Lata Mangeshkar. I love their old songs and prefer them any day to the latest numbers. I’ve never bought the tracks of the currently popular Indian movies.” However, she enjoys the relatively new Pakistani songs and says “At one point I was listening to Jal a lot, who are much junior to me although they launched themselves at the same time I did. A couple of good local bands — like Strings and Junoon — have come up with really good music. Ahmed Jehanzeb and Ali Zafar are very talented too.” Komal admits that while she is not fond of classical music at all, she listens to Nusrat Fateh Ali.
Being so much into movies and music, one would think Komal would have no time for reading, but it is quite the opposite. Says Komal: “If I had to choose one pastime from among movies, books and music, I would definitely opt for books. I love all kinds of books, but mostly am fond of romance novels and fiction, particularly murder mysteries and adventures.” Komal also enjoys Stephen King, although she says she avoids reading him at night as his books are based on horror.
Komal says she doesn’t like our local authors too much, “although I have read quite a few of them, including Tehmina Durrani and Kamila Shamsie. I find they go into lectures and theories on life, and I don’t choose to go there as I have my own philosophy about life. It has become fashionable to read sub-continental writers, but they are far too serious for my taste.” She doesn’t “lean towards John Grisham books” either, or for that matter books by Harrold Robbins and Jackie Collins. In fact, she describes the later two as “trashy”.
Komal’s favourite author is Clive Cussler and her favourite book by him is Sahara which is being been made into a movie. In fact, she loves all his books featuring Dirk Pitt and says “The hero is an American version of James Bond and the series is based on his underwater escapades, with him invariably landing up with a different love of his life in every book. Ninety-nine per cent the books are about adventure and water and are very informative and well-written.” Also among her pet writers are Frederick Forsyth and V.C. Andrews. A book that Komal thinks highly of, written by the latter, is Flowers in the Attic about which she says: “It is very intelligently written although, admittedly, it is slightly depressing.”
Laughing at herself Komal also admits: “I still enjoy reading Mills and Boon books, although I skim over them now.” She loves Harry Potter books too. What’s more, she was once well on her way to writing a book herself, and had written 300 pages of an adventure romance, when her brother blew up her computer and put paid to all her efforts. Says she “All it needed at that point was an editor to look it over, when my creativity went down the drain and I never managed to get back to writing.”
Komal Rizvi: Variety is the key word
