Dubai: Pakistani star Meera, who is poised to make her comeback as a fading matinee idol in her latest film Baaji, claims that Bollywood actor Aamir Khan and Hollywood's Julia Roberts are her biggest inspiration.
According to Meera, these two actors seek perfection in every shot they take and have no qualms about giving more than 100 takes for a challenging scene in their films.
“I have always wondered the level of perfection in actors like Aamir Khan. I was keen to see what was beneath that perfectionist tag … I wanted to understand his depth just like a student who was looking to improve her craft,” said Meera at a press conference in Dubai on Tuesday afternoon.
The actress, who hopes to revive her ailing career with Baaji, says her interaction with Julia Roberts in Los Angeles taught her that there’s no pride in asking for multiple re-takes for a scene in a film.
“Earlier, I used to take pride in being called a ‘one-take-artist’, but after meeting Julia who told me she takes 114 to 120 takes, I began relating to her”, said Meera.
Directed by celebrated ad-maker Saqib Malik, the film revolves around Shameera who’s struggling to remain relevant in her acting field and finds herself competing with a younger woman Neha (Amna Ilyas). The actors — including Osman Khalid Butt who plays an American director of Pakistani origin and model Ilyas — were in the UAE to promote their film, releasing here on June 27.
Director Malik also clarified that Baaji isn’t a copy of Bollywood films like Heroine starring Kareena Kapoor. The Madhur Bhandarkar film dwelled into the life of an insecure actress too.
“Our film is based on the cultural moment that we are facing in Pakistani cinema right now. The old order in cinema is dying and the new order is being brought in. In this moment of transition stands our character of Shameera, played by Meera, in Baaji” said Malik.
After the press junket in the UAE, the glamorous group interacted with their fans at Vox Cinemas in Deira City Centre.
Baaji is out in the UAE on June 27.
Read the full interview in Gulf News tabloid! soon.
