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FIRST PERSON: Young & sweet
The present crop of Lollywood actresses has been fighting long and hard against the laws of gravity. The long, drawn battle has reached such a ludicrous level that the numerical value of these actresses’ age has become invariable.
Hit hard by box-office flops, Saima refuses to consider life-after 26. This also goes for the firebrand Reema, who insists that just a few years back she was in a bassinet. And Meera — still asserting to be a juvenile — claims to be only 22! Well, push over ladies and make way for Sara Chaudhry, a genuine, 15-year-old actress, who is already making a mark for herself; right at the top of the Lollywood chart.
Not that as a 15-year-old Sara Chaudhry finds it a virtue to hack into the lair of the aging queens. If anything, her adolescence comes with many hitches: one of them is not being taken seriously by people.
The lead star of Josh, her debut movie, directed by Hasan Askari Rizvi, she complains that newcomers are not given a shooting schedule.
“We’ll be asked to come to the studio a few hours before the shooting. The time-table revolves around the availability of senior artists. But I must say that one plus point of being young is that senior actresses don’t get threatened by you,” says Sara with a definite twinkle in her eyes.
‘You have to make a start someday. So why not make it while you’re still young? I know what I want in life and where I want to go. After I’m through with acting and modelling, I’d like to get into directing and producing movies,’ she says, chomping rapidly on her chewing gum
Okay, there is a plus point. What about the minuses? Like a veteran actress denying, Sara quickly holds back.
“Oh, there aren’t any except for the one that I mentioned. In fact Hasan Askari is so nice to me that he affectionately calls me Munni. And so is Meera (who plays a vamp in the movie),” Sara is quick to add. One of the members of the Josh team, shooting at the Evernew Studios, reveals that Sara has to sit for hours, just waiting for Meera to show up.
“It’s not just her who has to wait. Sometimes, even the director has his patience tested,” quips the insider.
Showing a strong resolve, Sara Chaudhry has not entered the cut-throat world of showbiz to be cowed down by such deviations as interminable waits and long nights. Neither is she apologetic about the immaturity of her years. To Lollywood, she might be a ‘Munni,’ a non-threatening 15-year-old, rushing to the studio for a shot, but not to those who know her closely.
“Sara takes herself and her work very seriously,” discloses a friend. The friend could not be closer to the truth. Sitting comfortably in jeans and a T-shirt, Sara Chaudhry represents the media-savvy generation of today. She knows that the fiercely competitive world of media has crossed the traditional age barriers.
“You have to make a start someday. So why not make it while you’re still young? I know what I want in life and where I want to go. After I’m through with acting and modelling, I’d like to get into directing and producing movies,” she says, chomping rapidly on her chewing gum.
Hello! ‘Tis not just the aging, female leads who should watch out for this multi-talented artist, but also over-the-hill directors.
Sara Chaudhry draws her Fendi scarf (which was bought by “my mama”) closer around her shoulders and delicately sips the cold drink. Her clearly defined life targets, and a two-year-long whopping, showbiz career are as much a product of the media explosion at our doorstep as much as parental encouragement. Discovering their daughter’s heightened interest in acting and modelling, the Chaudhrys’ willingly gave their nod of approval to let Sara make a name for herself. Her education was pushed to the background to be followed as an appendage to an overnight, booming career.
“I have not pushed my education to the background. I am studying privately. Only recently, I passed my Matriculation exams,” Sara defends.
The Chaudhry family have no regrets about giving the go-ahead signal to their daughter. From the time she began her career in December 2000, compering Toon Time (a children’s programme), to hosting the film-based Cinemascope, on Prime Entertainment, and now Josh, all the big names in advertising have made a beeline to sign Sara for their commercials.
“In less than a year, I have not only done 16 commercials all over Pakistan but have also had the pleasure of visiting Bangkok,” explains Sara. Her freshly scrubbed, naive looks have not only landed her appreciation but have also made her one of the most favourite faces of our country’s top photographers.
“Look at her face. Her olive complexion comes out beautifully in print. She has brought freshness to an industry relying on the same, tried out looks,” says one of our top photographers.
The decision has paid dividends. The tender looks of Sara Chaudhry have stealthily made massive media incursions, putting her on the cover of fashion magazines, giving her a role in a Yawar Hayat TV play and coveted modelling assignments.
“I love it and am enjoying every minute of it!” says a rapturous Sara. Of course she is! But wait, are the aging, fast approaching a reference in the past tense enjoying the advent of a newcomer?
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