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The girl with the nasal twang
It is not just the love of music that is making people dial the number to put in their requests for songs at the only music channel this country has to offer. The girl hosting this show has a knack for tossing her head and giving a beguiling smile — enough to make the teenyboppers cry for more.
Anoushey, hired by the Indus channel approximately a year ago, has only recently managed to capture the hearts of the young and the wannabe young. Her programme IM Requested is sponsored by a calling card company and has an interesting, albeit small, set. The concept is not entirely original and in the beginning, Anoushey seemed to have a Shahnaz (from Channel V) hangover, but she has now settled into a more personal style. There was a wave of criticism regarding her breathy, nasal voice, but it is this same voice that youngsters now cannot get enough of. Hence we get to see her five times a week and three times a day.
From the moment this scribe entered her tastefully decorated flat, the energy she exudes seemed to envelope everything in sight. Anoushey Ashraf, as she is formally known, has recently completed her A levels privately.
“I have done fairly well considering I had to manage my work along with my studies.” When asked what kind of research goes into conducting a music programme, she tells us, “Gone are the days when I would take time choosing the right flavour of chips at a supermarket. Now I just pour over magazines to get information that I can share with my viewers.” Though she still had no inkling that it was not Huma Khawaja but the late Nazia Hasan who originally sang Dil ki lagi.
Kids love the way she dresses, does her hair and her mannerisms, ample proof being the bundles of mail the channel gets for her show. Each letter is more colourful and full of praise than the next.
“We realized how popular the show was getting after people started dropping by to meet me on the set.” Her family consists of her mother, (“She is a totally dedicated housewife,”) her father, (“My best buddy and confidante,”) and two siblings. It was interesting to find out that Anoushey’s elder sister who is now married was the model who appeared in numerous glossies and the music videos of Zalim nazron se by Ali Haider and Gorey rang ka zamana by the Vital Signs.
“When I decided to become a part of show business, my parents were not really surprised because my sister Natasha had been through it all before us,” she says. The youngest daughter of the family, Alyzeh, is currently featuring in Sharique Roomi’s video Gal bandi naiyye.
According to Anoushey’s mother “She was a tomboy as a child and could always be found in front of the mirror with a deodorant bottle as a make believe microphone in hand.” Anoushey further tells us “I got a call from someone once reprimanding me for the way I dress on the show. I told him that I do as my directors tell me to. If the requirement was to wear the national dress I would do so.”
She has been busy doing fashion shows and commercials but what she was truly excited about was the video she will be featuring in that will be aired soon.
“I don’t know whether I should reveal the song yet or not, but as soon as they asked me to be in their video at the Indus Vision Island Night concert, I had to say yes. After all, they are the hottest name these days.”
Coming back to the programme she is associated with, Anoushey reveals that there is no script but meetings before a recording do take place where the director and host, along with others, brainstorm on the format and how to improve upon it.
What kind of music does she like to hear?
“The album that I actually went and bought from the market was that of Fuzon’s. I think their music is really happening.”
In the near future Anoushey very innocently looks forward to a road trip around Europe that she will take with her family instead of anything glamorous that might await her career-wise.
“I am also a member of AWARE, a group of people who work for the betterment of the country in general, be it animals or children or clean air.”
Meeting Anoushey, one is hopeful for the youth in this country. With the right amount of positive energy, they can compete with anyone in any sphere.
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