Saba Qamar describes herself as a feminist and loves doing roles that strive to empower women

Having given more than 15 years to the entertainment industry, Saba Qamar remains unstoppable. Throughout her showbiz journey, she has proven the fact that she is an artiste par excellence and is willing to go far ahead. Saba Qamar is widely known for taking up challenging yet unconventional roles that defy the established norms and bravely challenge stereotypes, particularly those associated with women. In so doing, her versatile range remains unrivalled and the characters she has played so far will always hold a special place in the hearts of audience. Her unmatched acting skills and unsurpassed talent have made her a favourite amongst critics and audiences alike. Bosting of a talents that transcends her beauty, Saba Qamar talks to BOLD about her forthcoming projects, her views about  both known and unspoken showbiz rivalries, and how she feels in being the best possible version of herself and beyond.

As things currently stand, Saba Qamar, as a leading actresses,  has delivered on both the small and big screens, and  the starlet has been busy shooting for multiple projects over the past year, with her web-series ‘Naina Ki Sharafat’ being shown on the Pakistani web streaming platform Urduflix earlier this year. “I believe in working for all kinds of platforms as they all hold their own importance and viewership, hence it was not difficult for me to choose a streaming service for ‘Naina Ki Sharafat’ over the traditional and more established television channels,” she revealed. Saba thinks such online streaming platforms are the future of the entertainment sectors of all kinds. “I believe that there are a lot of chances for this to become the biggest entertainment medium.”

Saba believes that her fans should eagerly wait for what else she is now working on, particularly considering the huge success amassed by her film Kamli, the commercial triumph of ‘Ghabrana Nahi Hai,’ along with her telefilm Hangor. . “There’s a lot in the pipeline that I want my fans to watch, their feedback means a lot to me. It makes the artiste feel content when their work is loved and appreciated by the masses. Feedback is everything that we need in the end after working so hard. It’s a rewarding experience and the best thing about my forthcoming projects is that they’re all different from one another,” she stated.

When the most devastating Covid-19 pandemic brought the entire world to a standstill, many wondered if that global disaster would ring the death bell for the struggling film industry of Pakistan. However, the cinema industry has bounced back and did quite well, especially in the year 2022, with the Saba Qamar-starrer Kamli being one of the best films to come out of the country. “I cannot thank God enough for things coming back to normal – the pandemic was very hard on all of us but I also believe that it was a great chance for all of us to explore ourselves and work on our weaknesses. I guess we all have learned the value of thanking God for every little blessing in our life, be it to physically see someone or to step out for a mere cup of coffee, or perhaps even a hug from our loved ones that we used to take for granted,” according to Saba.

Expectedly, Saba Qamar is one of those leading actresses who has always making the headlines, and for good reason. Even when the life literally stopped during the Covid-19 calamity, she managed to rise to the occasion to entertain her millions of fans through social media and launched her own YouTube channel where she uploads content produced by her own and reflects on general topics, ranging from current crises to satire, music, and poetry. “My workload is very hectic these days, doing projects back to back hasn’t given me enough time to work on content for my YouTube channel,” she opined.

“And as you all know that my YouTube channel is my own personal space that I use to reach my fans, therefore, I need to have time to breathe life into what I have in mind.” However, her YouTube schedule has taken a back seat because of her busy work schedule which keeps her occupied. Nevertheless, she has guaranteed bringing in something exciting to her fans, saying, “I promise I will be back soon with another amazing episode!”

After having already proved her mettle with the commercial and critical hit ‘Hindi Medium,’ in in 2017 which establishing herself as a bankable performer in the Indian film industry, we asked the actress which one of her projects has resonated the most with her. “ Baaghi and Cheekh  had a huge impact on my life though all the projects I did are equally important to me and I lived through all of my characters. Not to forget Hindi Medium, it was one of my best experiences I have ever had. But Naina Ki Sharafat has become very close to my heart and I have thoroughly enjoyed every bit of the project,” she told.

With regard to her experience working with the late Indian film actor Irrfan Khan in Hindi Medium, she compares the two industries in detail. She believes Indian cinema is well-established in all standards, while Pakistani film industry is still in its infancy stage but it will attain those heights very soon, according to her.

Saba has all the credit for doing a variety of challenging roles for both film and television, she believes  there’s a lot of thought that goes into the picking which script she wants to work with. “I am very choosy yet careful about my projects. I want to do something that grabs my attention in a matter of second and the script should be strong, convincing yet meaningful be that as it may. Honestly speaking, it has to tick all the boxes for me. I am obsessed with giving my audience something truly new every time they get to see me on-screen.”

From acting and modelling to writing and even running her own YouTube channel, Saba is a know-it-all person and a true artiste who is always eager to learn more. She has never been afraid to take on a challenge as  a versatile performer. “I guess that’s the beauty of being an artiste who tends to be an  all-rounder and I really enjoy being one. You learn from every new thing that comes to you and being a lifetime learner I would love to remain a jack-of-all-trades for the rest of my career too,” said Saba.

Being a true believer of feminism, Saba Qamar has a proven track record of  picking those roles that strive to empower women, for instance, Cheekh, Baaghi and Fauzia Batool, and she describes herself as a feminist. “Being a feminist myself, I really believe that all of us need to educate ourselves on the true meaning of feminism,” she added. “Once we have understood the basics, only then can we uplift others, support them and educate them on what the feminism is, whether it’s in our social circles, our family settings or in the industry as a whole.”

People in the show industry often compare actors and actresses with one another, thus giving rise to an unspoken yet needless rivalry with no rationality. On certain occasions, some fans tend to even take these rivalries a step further and in doing so they attack other fans as well. Unfortunately, it is a vicious cycle, and Saba has her reservations about this negative trend. “I personally hate this thing because I believe every person is special in his or her own way, and we should not do such negative things to bring anyone down. We’re all here to work together and you cannot pick yourself up by bringing another actress down, so I don’t really pay heed to these baseless comparisons,” she stated.

With regard to the Pakistan’s industry and various changes facing the industry, Saba would like to see one change in the current media landscape in particular. She revealed, “If it were in my hands, I’d want every person to respect our artistes, for this is the kind of positivity and mannerism we need in our lives to thrive.”

She also shared her stance on the limitless influencing power of social media as a medium of entertainment and education which has an immense potential to both uplift and demean. “Since everything has its pros and cons, the social media cannot be an exception. If we use it positively the way it is basically meant to be then nothing will become scary for anyone. What matters is your peace. If you’re at peace then you don’t have to worry about the negativity that surrounds you. So it is always better to focus on finding your peace of mind and the rest will be fine!” she asserted.

Since Saba Qamar has now spent over a decade in ruling the hearts and minds of her countless fans, she wants newcomers to step in, follow their instincts, keep their head held high and steer clear of all the negative things around them, just the way she does.

“I firmly believe in being a straightforward and honest person when it comes to any personal or non-personal issue. I do need to learn the art of being politically correct, but I guess that’s a little too tough for me so I’m just enjoying being who I am,” she added.

It seems Saba follows a  mantra for success and a little something of it that all of us can adopt, apply and thrive in this challenging world.