Maheen Siddiqui is the most recent face who has become the talk of the town with her debut performance in drama serial Dobara where she played Minal, a supportive daughter to her mother, Mehru, played by Hadiqa Kiani. Maheen was earlier seen in Azaan Sami Khan’s music video Mein Tera but not many noticed her appearance in it. However, as Minal, she has received love and appreciation from the viewers.
In a conversation with Aamna Isani of Something Haute, Maheen shared about her journey from Ireland to Saudi Arabia and finally to Pakistan, her foray into television and much more.
” I was born in Ireland; I lived there for 10 years and then I moved to the Middle East. I finished my school in Bahrain and then I moved to Toronto University. I was working there and I wanted to come to Pakistan. I came here and it was meant to be two months,” she shared.
Maheen is a graphic artist and she loved her work. “I was with my laptop on my shoots when I had to submit some work. I am still a graphic designer; that’s how it all started. I was doing designs for Azaan’s album and Ehtesham sir asked me to do a audition for the video and he made everything very comfortable. So, it was the nicest first experience ever,” she added.
Maheen’s family with friends with Azaan Sami Khan’s family. “My khala is the best friend of Azaan’s mum [Zeba Bakhtiyar]. So, I had her met a lot while growing up and when I came here, she basically took me under her wings. She is my go-to person when I’m offered a project or have to do an interview,” she said.
Maheen Siddiqui with Aamna Isani
Her career plansÂ
“I didn’t know I liked acting until I did it and now I’m looking forward to what I am going to do next. My father isn’t too keen; he enjoyed it when I was an assistant director for Ehtesham sir. So, he liked when I worked behind the scenes. On the contrary, my mom is thrilled in front of her friends, they are following my drama. I get a 3-minute voice note on my acting.”
Her take on nepotism
“I think there is this wall and you need a means to jump over that wall. I wish there wasn’t a wall but unfortunately, this is how it is. So, after the music video, I got a call from Hum TV and I auditioned for something else, then I gave an audition to Danish Nawaz and I thought this won’t work because I was merely following his instructions. He is a very funny person so I wasn’t sure if he was being serious or not,” she said.
Her experience as a debutant in Pakistan
“When I was going on set for the first time, I was given so many instructions which I thought was weird. Like keep to yourself, don’t joke around because people might get the wrong idea. So, there are major cultural differences. Here, I passed a smile to a stranger in the gym and that person got a wrong impression, while in Toronto, you casually say hello to people in elevators. It was like taking out an aspect of myself and finding the balance.”
“But it was a fun set and I would like to say I’m gal-pal with Hadiqa jee. She was so sweet to me and used to help me with my cues during all my takes. I became friends with Sabeena, who plays Seher. I adore Sakina appa. I got a lot of pep talks from everyone,” she shared.
Watch the full interview here:
