Zoya Nasir recently grabbed all the love and attention from the audience in her industry journey for her as Narmeen in Dobara and the cunning Sameen in Mere Humsafar. She has made her way into showbiz in a short period.
Being a daughter of Nasir Adeeb, the scriptwriter known mostly for creating the universe of Maula Jutt, she wasn’t allowed to enter into showbiz and pursue acting as a career. Right then, she joined Sabs, the beauty salon, as a junior partner and became a full-fledged beautician.
She currently owns salons in Lahore, New York, and Miami her work keeps her traveling for its supervision. What’s more interesting is how her beautician career led her to seal her previous die-hard passion of being an actress.
Once she got the chance, she undoubtedly dominated which was shut down as a kid. She recently sat down with Fuchsia, where she put some light on her early years, the backlash she faced due to her weight, and her aim to break the traditional nepotism culture.
Along with that, she made a big statement for young girls in which she advised them to have a career and an independent outlook on life before marriage while highlighting her divorce.
Zoya Nasir in conversation with Fuchsia
Zoya Nasir shared, “While I don’t want to get into details, it’s important to share that I was 19 when I got married. He was 8 years older than me. I was so young, even for my age, that I didn’t know how to take a stand for myself or how to greet people as a bahu,” Zoya recalled, highlighting the struggles of teen marriages.
She further added, “I wasn’t a partner in my marriage, I was a kid, given responsibilities. My world was so small at the time that I’d succumbed to anything they’d ask of me. I never reflected on who I was as a person, I just became how people wanted me to.
I’d accept mistakes even when I wasn’t at fault. When I got divorced, my family realized that it wasn’t the right move for anyone that young.
I needed to broaden my horizon.” She went on to urge elders everywhere, “Do not marry teen girls. Let them see the real world and know themselves. Otherwise, they’ll spend their lives being inferior to people all the time.
Zoya was also in the headline last year when she called off her engagement with vlogger Christian Betzmann because of his controversial remarks on Palestine and Pakistan.
The actress also shed some light on how her salon was hired to do hair and makeup for a channel’s film festival, which later led her to the realm of acting.
“It was then that Sonya (Khan) jee and Salman Iqbal saw me mimicking and thought I was cut out for it. At that moment, all my repressed dreams of acting reappeared and suddenly I figured, I’m an adult now, I don’t need my family’s approval to do this, so I said yes. We had a few meetings, they offered me a lead role in Hania and now I’m here.”
‘I made a mistake’ – Zoya Nasir
Zoya on one side grateful for her leading role alongside the actor Junaid Khan in the 2019 drama, but on the other hand, Zoya highly not recommends newcomers to select this move to be in the industry. “I wish I didn’t start like that. I made a mistake. I didn’t know anything at that time.
Now that I’ve worked with Farhan Saeed, Hadiqa Kiani, Bilal Abbas, I’ve seen how they do their homework. They know everything from lights to production and of course, their character. I’ve learned so much that I can see my mistakes in the serial,” she admitted.
“I wouldn’t recommend a lead role to anyone as a newcomer in this world. Even if you have contacts, don’t take them. Work as a side character with notable actors, that way the pressure eases and you learn enough to stand out when you get a lead role,” added Zoya.
‘I don’t have a heroine face’ – Zoya Nasir
Zoya undoubtedly gained endless love for her role, but initially, she also faced some harsh comments and challenges as she have fair skin.
But looks like the actress didn’t bother by all the negativity spread by the people around her. She shared, “People have often said that I do not have the face of a heroine, that I don’t look the part. I ask you to define a lead actor. Define a heroine.
Can a fat, [not fair] girl not have a story to tell or is it not worth listening to? I never take offense to the statement because the definition of a lead actor is flawed here.”
She also shared the incident where she took a stand against the industry, “I went to the US for some work and came back tanned while I was working on this serial.
The show makers gave a horrific reaction. They told me they’d offer me whitening injections on the house but will not tolerate the “dark, ugly” color. It was insane. I couldn’t believe what I was hearing. I refused straight away.”
Standing up for her beliefs cost her a project as well. “I had signed a web series where I had to play a girl who is under any illusion that she’s beautiful but in she isn’t.
The producer asked me to put on a black foundation. I refused and said I’ll wash my face if you do this because dark skin doesn’t equal ugly. He told me that it was either his way or the highway. I took the highway and walked out.”
Recently she also called out Lubna Faryad for the language she used to review her show badzaat.
My inspiration is Hiba Bukhari – Zoya Nasir
Another challenge Zoya Nasir faced was the system of lobbies. On that, she said, “My inspiration is Hiba Bukhari. She didn’t come from a lobby and yet took over the industry with her talent.
I want to be able to defeat the lobby too. I wish to go beyond the tag of nepotism and prove my acting, because honestly if you know someone in the industry and ask them for a lead role, you get it easily. There are fewer (female) actors than male ones.”
Zoya no doubt believed in herself, that’s the reason she now can choose projects the ones she wants to do. The amount of love she’s receiving from the audience for her great acting is also overwhelming for her as well.
“I had a panic attack and was taken to the hospital. An old lady thought of me as Hania and gave me prayers for my recovery. That moment still stays with me.”
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