Before starting the interview, Razia Sultana Junejo and Ali Palh introduced Sabreen Hesbani by sending a poster of Sabreen’s drama serials that she has recently worked on such as; Ek Mohabbat Ke Baadand Mujhe Kuch Kehna hai. They sent some of her stunning pictures. All the members were very delighted with the news that Sabreen going to join them. Sikander Baloch one of the group member who knows her personally said that she is not only wonderful artist but kind human being and beautiful soul as well.
Sabreen joined us on the precise time that she promised which showed how serious she takes her commitments & deadlines. When she mentioned that there are almost sixty people in the group it showed that she has taken interest and tried to know the group. Before the start of the interview she said salaam to everyone and gave her introduction as being a TV artist in the industry since last ten years. She thanked group admin for giving her this opportunity where she was able to speak to people from various backgrounds and from different parts of the province working on human rights. Every member of the group welcomed her with full excitement and thanked the admin for organising this interview.
Sabreen as interview panel researched is an actress with a real ability to play all type of roles brilliantly. She has been working on TV since long and has become a familiar but very popular face and celebrity. She has appeared on different long and short plays on HUM TV, ARY DIGITAL and KTN. Purpose of selecting Sabeen for interview was show audience who are mostly women from middle class of a rural area of Sindh that despite difficulties challenges and huddles Sabreen Hisbani fulfilled her dream and achieved her target of becoming actress. How empowered she feels today and how important a career is for a woman in any society.
Ali Palh: Sabreen what's meaning of your name? Star? Did you ever imagine that you will be popular and achieve fame?
Sabreen Hesbani: My mother told me that my names’ meaning is “sabur karn wari/Sabar karne wali,” I also read somewhere that Sabreen’s means a daughter of King, however, since am not a daughter of a king so I guess that sabar karne wali must be right. (That answer got a big hand & laughter from the audience)
Ali: suggested to Sabreen to use voice recorder option if she feel tried. Sabreen was pleased for using for using that option.
Nasira Abid: How did you enter in this profession and who inspired you?
Sabreen Hesbani: Nasira, when I was in class eight I did Roshan Tara, I was teenager then I didn’t do anything for a while. One day a producer called zulfiqar halepoto, visited me at my house and requested me to work in one of their programme called Kalakar for their new channel called KTN. I did this with Sikander Baloch (group member), he may remember this.
Nasira Abid: Sabreen do u think that you have not got the chance to perform your desired role?
Sabreen Hesbani: Not yet Nasira, I’m still waiting.
Nasira Abid: What type of role u want to do?
Sabreen Hesbani: I want to play role, such as Mother India or Samita Patel, a Bollywood actress, role that she played in Mirchi.
Nasira Abid: ok you like to play art movies roles.
Ali Palh: you have that potential to do that I saw your performance.
Sabreen Hesbani: yes, I would love to work in movies but I don’t believe that at the moment the kind of movies are coming are my standers, but if somethings come and it was interesting for me that I would play it.
Sabreen Hesbani: yes, thanks Ali for recognizing potential in me and If I get an opportunity to work in movies if I was offered good roles.
Ali: I have seen in the show of Umer Sharif and she did great.
Nasira Abid: oh achcha
Javed Qazi: Madam you are Sindhi then why you don’t perform in Sindhi serials?
Sabreen Hesbani, I am sorry I don’t know your name but I had ishq with Sindhi dramas, I have grown up watching Sindhi Dramas. I have started with Sindhi dramas but unfortunately today those kind of scripts, actors and directors are not there anymore. See I might not know how good actress I am but I keep a good test in watching. I am aware of good acting, good scripts and good producer, whenever I get a package where I will get all this and definitely I will work.
A member: yes, Sabreen you are right, there are big issues in Sindhi celebrities of Sindhi Dramas.
Kami Chaudhry: Love your voice in Sindhi too, however, I did not understand.
Sikander Baloch: Have you ever truly fall in love?
Sabreen Hesbani:hahahaayes, Sikander it’s natural, I have fall in love truly and deeply.
Nasira Abid: To fall in love is natural.
Sikander Baloch: “Tum itna Jo muskra rahy Ho kya gham hy jis ko chupa rahy Ho”
Ali: Sikander is asking difficult question 😷
Sikander Baloch: Appreciate and glad to knowJ to love and to be loved in the greatest happiness and existence indeed.
Mrs. Khalid: sent thumps up sticker, For Sikander👍
Ume Kalsom: mam is a negative role hard to play or not?
Sabreen Hesbani: playing a negative role is very difficult, recently one of my drama was on-air and it was very loud and negative. See whatever I do negative or positive is difficult to play because I am portraying someone else life.
Ume Kalsom: thanks mam... I have seen that serial on ARY.
Sikander Baloch: She is good singer too I mean Sabreen I know her since years as family friend :)
Sikander Baloch: So in last we would request u too sing a song for us:)
Sabreen Hesbani: I’m not a good singer but sometime I try, But Sikander have a good voice also
Ali: we’ll hear song in the end. 😊
Nasira Abid: Who’s your inspiration, in Pakistan and in other countries?
Sabreen Hesbani: it is very difficult to take a single name, there are many celebrities that are my inspirations, I get inspired b good work, whether they are good are not. The people that were my inspiration were whilst growing up are Naseeruddin Shah, Smita Patil, Rekha, Roohi Bano. Samina Peerzada and Sania Saeed.
Mrs. Khalid: how do you handle your anger?
Sabreen Hesbani: There was times when I use to have anger issues and I used to break plates but now I don’t feel that why. I may have one or two episodes in a year, recently I exploded. Yesterday in fact on my sister that she does not looking after her daughter properly.
Javed Qazi: What is your father profession?
Sabreen Hesbani:He is a landlord.
Kamisid:Please tell something about women and transgender rights, your prospectus and opinion about rights...
Ume Kalsom: mam what do you think that why Pakistani artist are get media exposure as the way India does for their artist, because they have really to communalised their artist not only in their own country but internationally as well. But here Pakistani artiest needs Indian platform to be recognised internationally.
Sabreen Hesbani: India has a massive industry, whoever works there is recognised internationally but our market is not like that. It is fact that we don’t give importance to our artist unless he/she has work there. This is how we are working but we are not dishearten, hopefully things will change. Recently I been to India and I was so surprised that people recognised me. Our dramas are seen there and appreciated and people get offers to work there. We should rest a sure that good work will always be noticed.
Kamisid: yes you are right Sabreen jee.
Ume Kalsom: thanks mam
Nasira Abid:Did anyone of your family opposed you from coming to this field. If yes, then how did u handled it?
Sabreen Hesbani: Nasira see it was not easy coming from a Baloch family into this industry but I was very clear that what I wanted to do. When I was in grade nine, I wrote in my slam book that I wanted to become an actress and in there I also answered another question about what will made meunhappy. At that time, I wrote that there is nothing that I am unhappy about but if I didn’t become an actress it will make me sad. It was not like hobby it was my passion and I was very determined to follow this path. Initially there were lots of issues but we dealt together. We need to be very clear what we are trying to achieve, my focus was to do good work and it was recognised. I am happy about that and people around are eventually being happy also.
Ali Palh: A very good response.
Javed Qazi:In the future, are u thinking of direction.
Ume Kalsom:have you been offered by Indian showbiz industry?? any drama or film?
Sabreen Hesbani: not yet.
Erum Shah: Hi Sabreen I’m Erum, I’m a phd student in Malaysia. Sometimes ago I watched one of your drama on YouTube called Sanjha, it was very nice, you were looking so cute. Do you know, your eyes are so beautiful? Mashallah
Sabreen Hesbani: thanks Erum that was one of my favourite programme as well.
Sikander Baloch: In ankhon ke maste ky mastany hazaron hain :)
Nasira Abid: we are not mastanay
Sikander Baloch: Not about you she got my point on a lighter note:)
Erum Shah: you were with Suhai she was playing your sister’s role in it
Sabreen Hesbani: Yes, that’s right, it was her debut she is lovely girl and fabulous dancer
Nasira Abid: Sabreen, what qualifications do u have.
Sabreen Hesbani: I’m graduate ☹
Nasira Abid: Achcha.good
Ali: Good that S higher
Sabreen Hesbani: Still got time forstudy.😊
Nasira Abid: But you acting gulping much of your time.
Imran Khan Laghari:Sabreen in your view, can media play strong role for women protection and fundamental rights enshrined in Constitution of Pakistan and in different international conventions and laws adopted by Pakistan?
Sabreen Hesbani:Imran, media has played very good role in relation to women protection. If you look ten twenty years back, then you will have realisedthat the way women are independent they were not like that before. The vision that they have, they did not have that, and where that has come from, I think this is due to awareness that media has given through educating indirectly by their morning shows and dramas. There is still long way to go but it will happen by creating awareness about this.
Imran Khan Laghari: thanks, very good response Sabreen....hope you will invite more pro-active people from media to be part of this forum for interactive discussion
Sabreen Hesbani: yes of course Imran, I will encourage media and my colleagues that come and talk, it is important to have discussions. This is a very good platform to do it.
Ume Kalsom: mam, have you ever evidence discrimination and inequality in showbiz??
Sabreen Hesbani: Kalsom yes, when I felt that I wanted to move to Urdu dramas as I realised that the kind of work I wanted to do was not available in Sindhi dramas anymore. At the start of my working in the Urdu dramas I felt that I was not being giving opportunities due to coming from Sindhi Channels and they were assuming that I don’t have language skills and I was saying that I should be giving an opportunity to prove that I can work and even if there was issue I would have learnt. However, once I got the opportunity, the door opened up for me.
Ume Kalsom: thanks and your work is superb.
Nasira Abid: What do youthink, is it necessary to join academy for learning acting.?
Sabreen Hesbani:it is not important to get trained from any academy, as you know, we do not have such facility where people can groom themselves, but if there is such thing available then anything wrong with it, I believe that if you are talented and with practical work you can learn and groom yourself, you just need somebody to direct you in that way.
Nasira Abid: thanks
Sikander Baloch: When you are planning to start martial life and will it be same whom u loved or muhbat mai milna zarrori nahee :)
Sabreen Hesbani: Sikander it is not important to be married with one that you loved. I will marry whom I think I have is mental compatibility with and respect. I have observed around me that respect should be mast in relationships. If there is a respect, then love can happen its own.
Sikander Baloch: yes, I got it.
Nasira Abid: yes, respect comes first.
Ali Palh: Any dream has not come true yet and you wish that should come true now?
Sabreen Hesbani: Mother India kind of film, Ali, I am desperately waiting for that kind of script.
Ali Palh: Insha’Allah you will get it.
Erum Shah: Sabreen if you get chance to switch to any other field you then in which field you would change to.
Sabreen Hesbani:I would like to get trained to teach gets or like yourself become a social worker.
Imran Khan Laghari: Sabreen I will keep you informed and everyone else about the training that will be available in coming future.
Sabreen Hesbani: I’m looking forward Imran to be part of these kind of workshops.
Mannah:Sabreen, I’m researching on divorce. What is the reason that women have accomplish a lot but the divorce rate are increasing?
Sabreen Hesbani:I think this is not a correct way to look at the divorces, divorces happen when people are pressurized people getting into marriages, soon our youngster get older. Then been asked to get arrange marriages. You have to have mental compatibility to live together. If divorces are happening in this country, first, it shouldn’t but if they do then nothing wrong with it, if two people don’t want to live together then better to get seprated and live happy.
Ali Palh: We must prevent forced marriages if we want to reduce divorce rate in society. Very good response
Mannah: Really Sabreen you have given a new thinking; I agree if if people can’t live together then they should split👍
Razia Sultana Junejo: I am not sure that this question has been asked or not but I have come cross to some dramas recently, which shows women in very oppressed roles.
Sabreen Hesbani: I think showbiz is business and it is shown what people are demanding and want to watch.
Razia Sultana Junejo: ok thanks, I feel TV media can play very productive role in changing mind sets of people, especially for young people
Sabreen Hesbani: I agree Razia, I think TV media has alreadyplayed a positive role in changingmind-sets.
Nasira Abid: If this a business, then people can just join for money and fulfil their needs.
Sabreen Hesbani:Yes, Nasira now this field is not only for "shoq" paro karan wari’ field. This is also a job so any one who joins it helps them to change their lives too.
Ume Kalsom: mam, I have find many serials that have really aggravated me, where a person does nothing and tolerate all bad things that happens to him/her... and conclusively Allah help him/her out and truth unveiled... why is this happening... media wants to say that we shouldn’t do anything and just relay on Allah? what kind of message they are sending?
Nasira Abid: Kalsom this practice in dramas called catharsis, many good people can't express or act bravely. When they saw such happenings in drama they get courage. Catharsis is like a flow of water, the more youfill the more it will fall, thus make people to come at ease eventually.
Ume Kalsom: okay... thanks ... but I haven’t seen such kind of fall in society... hope someday we find such thing as well
Haseen Musarat: I’m Haseen, a writer and activist.
How did you respond and handled harassment in this field?
Sabreen Hesbani:I never experienced harassment, I knew how to carry myself, even in beginning, I knew how to deal with this. how to talk and maintain eye contact. This is a skill that I have learnt and it is important for young girls in this society to defend themselves from any harassment. I think there should be classes in school or general education for them.
Haseen Musarat: have you done any role that you did not like to do, or any role that was very close to your personality?
Nasira Abid: Sabreen what do you want more in your ideal partner except respect?
Sabreen Hesbani: I need just love, dignity and honour
Nasira Abid: 👍
Ume Kalsom: mam your views about news channels as it seems that they are at the state of competing eachother, we have alot of news channels and each of them is just racing... do you think that journalism is suffering in the sake of their businesses??
Sabreen Hesbani: yes, Ume Kalsom I am agreeing with you, as you have hard the quotation that quality is better than quantity, I think that quantity has taken over the quality of work, there are only few channels that doing good job.
Ume Kalsom: thanks mam
Ume Kalsom: thankyou mam Sabreen, I like to know that do you ever care about haters and criticizers?
Sabreen Hesbani: If you don’t have criticisers how do you come to know your strengths and weaknesses.
Nasira Abid: Sabreen what message would u like to give to girls
Sabreen Hesbani: Just I want to say one thing to all girls: believe in yourself and move on.
Nasira Abid: Will u stick to acting or having plans for becoming a writer/director or any other plans.
Sabreen Hesbani: I will not stick to acting I always want to do it for my passion not for money so I will switch it when this I don’t know.
Ali: please tell us who is your favourite actor, actress, what is your star, how many siblings do you have, who’s poetry you like.
Sabreen Hesbani: I like Meryl Streep and Shabana Azmi
I’m Virgo
We are six sibling
Shah Lateef
Ahmad Faraz and Shaikh Ayaz
Mannah: Please tell us how do you maintain your smartness and your beauty.
Sabreen Hesbani: I love spending times in the parks, I enjoy sitting there and walk this help me stay physically and mentally healthy.
Ume Kalsom: mam give me some healthy tips to maintain my hairs i.e. length shine and growth please!!
Sabreen Hesbani: Hahahahahha, Ume I wish, I knew that.
Ume Kalsom: but your hair looks so healthy.?
Sabreen Hesbani: Thanks to genetic
Razia Sultana Junejo: dear members we have taken a lot of Sabreen’s time. This interview will finish at 5.
Razia Sultana Junejo: We are very grateful for you to join us, please keep giving us your opinion about things that we post.
Sabreen Hesbani: I will Razia, thanks to all I just loved this interview ever credit goes to Razia Junejo thanks a lot to giving me this platform to introduce myself and a chance to talk with so much beautiful people.
Everyone in the group gave her best wishes for the future and acknowledged of her kind nature.
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