Humaima Abassi talks to Fashion Central

Fashion central conducted interview of one of the leading & bright names of the Pakistani Fashion & Style world, Humaima Abbasi. Humaima Abbasi was born on 18th of November 1987 in Quetta; and brought-up in the same city. She completed her education from her native city Quetta and then shifted to Karachi. She has been motivated and passionate about whatever work she does since her teenage. She initiated her Professional carrier, both as an actress and a Fashion model, from the biggest city of Pakistan, Karachi. She married to big name of the Pakistani Showbiz industry, Shammon Abbasi.

 

 Now other than her acting and Fashion modeling platform, she has bagged the Sunsilk Diva Campaign. This gives a good boost to her fame and she is tremendously moving on the road of success. Besides working into the glamorous world of Fashion, she has done many commercials, telefilms and T.V plays. Here, Humaima Abbasi who is also known as “a girl of beautiful face carries a million dollar smile” speaks exclusively to Fashion Central.

1. Something about yourself in your own words, where you grew up; tell us something about your family & education etc?

I was born and brought-up in Quetta, I completed my schooling and college from Quetta. My father used to work in a bank and later on he got retired and we shifted in Karachi. I have big family, we are six siblings, two brothers and four sisters and three of them are married. One brother is a doctor and two, one brother and one sister is younger than her.

2. When and how you get into modeling and acting?

I started my career when I was only 14 years old, through Fair & lovely campaign. Fair & lovely was my ever first commercial and in this was I started my career, as the youngest model. Saqib Malik actually introduced me and I was very lucky that I came so easily. Most of the girls struggle a lot through different medium, like giving shoots, commercials, so many auditions etc. Saqib Malik just got to see me walking in a Shopping Mall with my mother and he came to me and offered to model for him. I went his place, he took audition & screen test after make-over and then I got selected. 

After that when I started doing Fashion, so Tariq Amin and Fariha Altaf first introduced me. Tariq was the one who groomed me and Friha was the one who took me into the Fashion shows and shoots. So these are the three names, played a great role to introduce me into the world of Style and Fashion. I think there is not just a single person behind the introduction or success of any star. Many small supportive deeds of the renowned shining stars make a new star; like Fariha helped me in developing confidence and made me bold. Fariha told my mother one I was only 16 of age that “take my words she will be a star one day”. Saqib Malik still loves me a lot, he says that I’m like his daughter; we have father-daughter like relation. Saqib used to advice me that try to maintain the ideal smartness, as I was a baby fat. He also told me that you have got very nice hair so you should take good care of your hair, might be he predicted that I’ll be the Sunsilk Brand Ambassador one day (laughs).

3. Did your family support your decision to model and act or did they oppose it?

Well, they supported me because you can’t do anything without the support of your family. Your parents and your siblings play very important role in your life and they should be important for you as well. I belong to a conservative family. When I started working, my brothers were not very happy with my work but my parents supported me and today I’m here because of them.

4. When you got married to Shamoon Abbasi?

I got married when I was 19 years old; I got in love with him. It was quite a big decision for my parents but I convinced them and got married, and it’s been three years now.

5. Do you get privilege because of your husband, Shamoon Abbasi?

Of course, he is an actor, director, and script writer too; so I’ve got more leverage while living with him. But it’s not about that I’ve availed his contacts, he even didn’t design anything for me because I didn’t want to have recognition only because of him. I didn’t want to have any tag because I trust on my own.

But what Shammon did for me, he truly helped to transport me into an actress; I was not too confident at first but he enhanced my confidence level. I’ve learned a lot from him; being a director’s wife I know how to write a script, how to do lightning, how and where to cut the scene, what’s the angle of the camera etc. So these are the things I’ve learned from him, acting, editing, shooting etc, and I always say that he is “My Coach”.

6. No doubt, you have got a large number of fans; how do you handle them, particularly the male fans?

Sometimes it’s a big big deal, being a married woman if somebody says something, u know, generate some problems but generally speaking these are the people who makes you a star. They have their own emotions and feeling so we should respect them but similarly they should also think not to interrupt in our personal life. People actually started taking you seriously, and also judge by your characters. They take you seriously with the characters you perform and it’s also the success of your character when people started recognizing you with your roles.

I would like to share that once I went to different colleges of some cities of Pakistan with a private T.V channel on a survey, and over there almost every girl was wearing the same type of outfit, I used to wear in a T.V drama. So I love this part of my fans (laughs). So it’s important to have them.

7. Any Scandal? If so….

There is nothing like it, I’m very sweet to everybody; I’m very calm person and hardly get annoyed. So I don’t have such tensions at all.

8. You always looks comfortable in front of camera, is this in born or developed with the passage of time?

I love flirting with camera; I love being in front of camera. I love it more than a man (laughs naughtily). I have a very good chemistry with it; it’s a good feeling to pose, and to act in front of camera.

9. You are a Fashion model and as well as an actress; which field you like most and why? 

I used to like acting, more than a modeling part but now I think that being an actress is good to get fame among masses. You have to be in public because these are the people who actually make you popular. T.V is such a common platform of getting fame, as it is present almost in every home and Fashion magazines are considered for the limited class of our society. Mostly Fashion models are popular only in the Fashion industry, but when you do T.V plays you become popular soon and when your fans meet you with the tears on their eyes, it’s a marvelous feeling. I don’t think so they feel the same for the model of the ramp, they only feel it for the character you perform.

But the thing I like about modeling is the glamour, wearing such cloths, having that make-up etc. Another reason is that you earn more from the modeling platform in less time as compared to dramas. Also one can get the level of fame through just one commercial of some big brand, as one can get after a long term serial. So modeling and doing commercials is a good platform to get immense fame in short span of time.

10. How do perceive fashion?

What you wear and you feel comfortable in it that’s your fashion; you don’t have to follow the current Fashion trends. I’m a very customary sort of a girl and I like to wear Bantoo Kazmi, Rizwan Beag, Nilofer Shahid etc. Sometimes, I also like to wear gowns and trendy outfits, like HSY, Hassan Sheryar. Normally, I’m a casual & easy going girl with jeans and skirts and don’t have to put much expensive clothes and accessories but I’m crazy about buying different types of expensive footwear. But when it comes to functions and occasions, I became conscious about my looks because I have to look the most beautiful. I spent a lot of money on myself.
I also love to buy the accessories for my home décor as well.

11. How do you describe beauty?

Beauty is in yourself, if you have very nice face features but you are rigid type of person inside, then it doesn’t work for long. There are people but I won’t take the names. For me, women’s beauty lie in her character in particular, other than this, the way she talks, the way she walks also matters. So beauty has to be inside.  

I’m very religious, it’s in my instinct or I have it from my parents that you have to be connected with God for success in every aspect of your life.

12. How do you stay fit?

I dance and swim a lot; and I don’t put on much.

13. Pakistani media is tremendously grooming with the every passing day, what do you think, its going good as it should be or need more room to improve?

I think we are improving every day, especially the T.V, showbiz, Fashion industry, our media is grooming tremendously as compared to other fields of our country. Fashion industry is grooming, new brands are launching, channels are going good, every sort of magazines are getting promotion, so what does this all means; our media is going good. Our drama industry is too strong, our private channels are gaining international fame, we are too good in script writing etc. Also the Fashion week is going on and international people are working with us, so it’s going good as it should be. So it’s more than enough within such resources, as we are also facing peace issues in our country, so in all these circumstances, we are moving ahead positively. We should be happy and have to appreciate our own work.

14. What’s been the most interesting moment or time?

When I shot the regional campaign in Bangkok, there were models of some other countries as well, from India, Brazil etc. So that was my most memorable & interesting moment to work with international models and to represent my country. It was so much fun working with them.
Other than this, I’ve recently signed a movie with Shoab Mansoor; in which I’ve assigned a very different serious role, contradictory to my personality. So it’s another big achievement and like an honor for me.

15. What advice would you give to the young people who want to enter in modeling and acting?

Just stick to what you think, as life is only for once. Targeted your goals and work with dedication because without dedication you can’t achieve anything. Must get the proper education because everything will finish one day, your beauty, your glamour, but what is left is your mind. So keep your internal strong as much as you can. Just think positive and be positive.