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The TV girl
Coming out of the passport office, what does Saman Aga behold but a car full of three excited boys, gesturing and shouting amongst themselves and looking at her to check and recheck if it is indeed her. In the process, ignoring the road ahead, they end up bumping into the sidewalk, but that doesn’t dampen their spirit to get her autograph.
“I was extremely flattered by their response,” says a chuckling Saman. But what if they had hurt someone or themselves in the process! She states she cannot be blamed for their behaviour. Saman hails from a family which is thoroughly entrenched in showbiz, courtesy of her father, actor-director Aga Sajjad.
“He’s from the same batch as Talat Hussain, Uzma Gillani, etc. My father was settled in Lahore where he did numerous serials and plays, but then decided to move to Karachi.” And it was in this city that Saman first opened her eyes in a rich showbiz environment. “But I was never tempted to act or be part of all the glitz,” she says.
‘I joined showbiz at a very young age, so I have always had time on my side. I have seen it all — the pros, the cons — and am better equipped to understand my work and environment. But that certainly does not mean that I am planning to try out direction next. I believe you should stick to what you do best’
While still in her first year of college, Saman was approached by Mohsin Shirazi for a play. “I felt strange when he asked me, but then I thought ‘why not just try it out for kicks.’ I got the lead opposite Shabbir Jan. It was a very pleasant experience for me,” after which Saman was inundated with offers, or so she claims.
“I felt so comfortable with the whole experience that I soon did three plays which were aired simultaneously. They were all hits and before I knew it, I was famous overnight.” Some of her memorable serials include Chingari, Dil Hi Tau Hai, Kasak, Hum Tau Majboor Thay and Sagar Seep.
After having done serials, tele-films and long-plays, the next obvious choice was films. Was she offered any?
“I have been getting offers for films, but I haven’t really given it much thought as yet. Right now I want to do good serials.”
Does that mean the ones she has done so far are not that great?
“Oh no, of course they are but I want to do even better ones,” she interjects. “As for movies, I feel the standard of our films is not good and that is a fact. I do admit Javed Sheikh’s Yeh Dil Aap Ka Hua was a success, but not all movies are being made by him. Secondly, they are not a source of international fame like our serials are. For instance, there was a project I was doing with film personalities. We were shooting at a hill station and believe me, nobody seemed to know the filmi people. The temperament of the filmi click is very different from ours,” she says bluntly.
Is dancing the deterrent for her?
“I am not against dancing, but the way it is projected in our films is vulgar to say the least. I won’t be doing films in the near future but then, who knows what the future holds?”
Home for Saman Aga is Karachi but she prefers Lahore over the city of lights and chaos.
“I like Lahore because the environment there is comparatively better. Or maybe I am biased as I have received a lot of offers from Lahore! I guess it’s true that the grass is always greener on the other side,” she says.
Though Saman has achieved a lot since she entered the field, she still feels there’s a whole lot more to do.
“I joined showbiz at a very young age, so I have always had time on my side. I have seen it all — the pros, the cons — and am better equipped to understand my work and environment. But that certainly does not mean that I am planning to try out direction next. I believe you should stick to what you do best. But then, who knows? Maybe a couple of years from now I might be directing. Right now it’s just acting, acting and more acting!”
But does it help having a director father?
“Yes, it certainly does. I am doing my Masters in Mass Communications these days and am also learning to direct from my father. Besides, I also get to act in all his projects, not that there’s a compulsion on him to cast me. I would certainly not mind if he was to cast some other female leads, but it’s fun working with him. And whenever he’s wanted me for one of his serials, I’ve had to give him dates because of my other commitments! Most importantly it helped me in getting permission from my family for acting. For them, it was quite unacceptable for a girl to go into showbiz. But my father had set a precedent by being the first one to opt for this field and paved the way for me. My work is now appreciated by my family.”
Saman Aga is not inclined towards modelling, and has done only a few “good commercials.” But “now I am doing a shampoo ad that I bagged because of my healthy hair,” she says smugly. So hang on to your hair…oops…talent Saman, and chances are you will get whatever it is you are aiming for, very soon.
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