Spotlight: Shahana Khan Khalil

Published in Web Edition of INK..........

I first met Shahana at ‘Kuch Khaas’. She appeared cheerful, vibrant and full of life. She is an actor, writer, model, stage performer, RJ and Director Programs at ‘Kuch Khaas’. She has been a part of Islamabad theater and has acted in some plays like ‘The Suicide’, ‘The Producers’ ‘Come Again’, ‘The Lion King’, ‘Some Like It Hot’, ‘The Count of Monte Cristo’,
‘Moulin Rouge’, and ‘Bram Stoker’s Dracula’, though she is more recognized for ‘Slackistan’. 

Things that turn me on: 

Great music, traveling, fantasy, books and films

Things that turn me off: 

Plans that go haywire

My philosophy in life: 

As long as you’re dreaming, that flying broomstick will eventually show up. Anything is possible. You’ve just got to believe in it.

My Secret ambitions: 

To be able to speak in perfect Punjabi

Favorite Cologne: Deep Red

Favorite Car: Mini Cooper Red. It’s my dream car.

Favorite Dress: Anything that boasts personality.

Favorite place to hang out: Ha! Kuch Khaas.

Favorite Movie:

Too long a list: Benny and Joon, Little Miss Sunshine, 4 Lions, Scent of a Woman and Legends of the Fall.  This will go on.

Favorite Actors:

They are Depp, DiCaprio, Clooney, Ledger, Pacino & Fiennes. And the rest of the brilliance that makes the world of cinema what it is today. Again, this list will go on.

Characteristics that attract me to a person: Spontaneity, wit and style

Things I hate to do: Make small talk. That’s why I make the most of awkward silences.

As a kid I was: Somewhere else. Not much has changed.

What I always put off until tomorrow: Everything.

My craziest fan: A guy who wrote a song for me that was a little off-the-rocker.

Success to me is: Leaving your legacy

Acting for me is like:

Second nature or may be even first. It’s diving into the many facets of the human condition. It is something always new and always real.

When no one is looking, I like to:

Smile at strangers. It’s pretty creepy, but people are really funny when you’re not paying attention.

Describe a moment in my life that was truly romantic: Or the lack thereof?

What is the real me like: Pensive, hyperactive mind and always miles ahead of where I actually am.

“Slackistan” for me is: The coolest thing in the world.

My idea of perfect happiness: Achievement, in any form you’d imagine it.

Three things that I like about myself:

These are my mind, being able to talk to anybody off the road & the dot on my nose.

Three things that I dislike about myself: 

It’s my chronic procrastination, my self-deprecating tendencies & my inability to sleep at night.

Beauty according to me is: Misunderstood.

My biggest regret:

None; you learn, you move on.

My favorite quote:

“If being sane is thinking there’s something wrong with being different, I’d rather be completely fucking mental.” Angelina Jolie.

My biggest passion:

Overthrowing the conventional.

My biggest desire: 

It is to receive my letter from Hogwarts.

My favorite food: Food.

My favorite drink: Cade – Blue

My biggest expectation: To be able to sit on the moon.

My favorite pastime: Swinging.

My favorite song: Too many.

My co-workers: Paint a diverse picture.

My source of learning: The Internet.

My source of inspiration: The impossible.

I hate people who: Tear other people down because they’re afraid to find and nurture their own potential.

My favorite season: Autumn. Hands down.

My zodiac sign: Aquarius.

My biggest strength: I’m a survivor.

The biggest hurdle in my way: Myself.

How many mental categories/labels/boxes do you classify guys into? List them down.

Here’s the irony. As much as this is something I could write a thesis on, I’m really not that bothered.

How would people or let’s say really beautiful girls who also become more famous and rich along the way, ever know whether someone wants to be friends with them for ‘who they are’ and NOT ‘what they are’ (high profile public figures). Facing the same dilemma in terms of love?

I’m black and white about all my relationships. As long as you avoid the grey, you’re fine. Most people seek out the grey in hopes of finding something clandestine and exciting. It’s pointless at the end of the day.

In your view, what are the disadvantages of fame besides having little privacy and loneliness after having reached the top?

I wouldn’t consider myself famous just yet. I know people, they know me. For those who don’t know me but want to, they know all they need to know and I’m perfectly adept at keeping that relationship happy and complication-free. Fans have this ‘beyond imagination’ idea of you, it’s highly unrealistic. But then again, I’d do the same over someone I idolize.

Name a few of your favorite seasons/sitcoms, name your favorite characters in them and reasons for liking them?

Oh so many. They are Friends, Scrubs, How I Met Your Mother, Glee, The Big Bang Theory & Modern Family. This will go on. It’s mostly the ensemble. They just make me happy in ways that actual situations don’t. But then again, our lives could easily become sitcoms. Ever imagine some light background music to a family’s fight? Try it.

My message to the readers:

Go out, roll down a hill, swing. sing and breathe. We’re really just 6-year olds stuck in big bodies. Don’t be fooled by your height, everything still is just as wonderful as the first time you saw it. Do not let anyone tell you it can’t happen.

The post was published here.

Clips of Salman Asif as a Guest on my show

Arieb Azhar & Asim Raza as Guests on Our Show

K2 Klub Episode on Hypengyophobia

Qayaas Members Umair Jaswal & Sarmad Ghafoor on Our Show

[Spot Light: Omar Bilal Akhtar]

By

Sadaf Fayyaz

 Published on Koolmuzone, under interviews......

  

Complexes: My friends think I'm always getting myself into self righteous arguments and making speeches.

What turns me on: A great sense of humor, and great taste in music without being pretentious

What turns me off: Someone who says 'like' too much

Philosophy of life: Nothing in life worth having ever comes easy.

Secret Ambitions: I want to have a book on the New York Times bestsellers list.

Biggest Crush: Changes all the time, right now it's Rachel Bilson.

Favorite Musicians: Changes all the time! But right now it's a band called Arcade Fire

I would love to perform with: Rahat Fateh Ali Khan.

I would love to see my country: As a tourist destination. There are so many incredible places right here in Pakistan and I wish the world new about them, it would keep us in the news for all the right reasons.

Favorite Car: I'm not really a fan of cars: give me a horse any day!

Three things that I hate about music channels: Oh God, I wrote a whole article on this. I guess to summarize it would be: They promote anti-intellectualism, they rarely promote new bands and they have killed any sort of ambition to make quality programming.

Three things that I dislike about morning shows: The lack of genuine interest shown by the hosts, the interview techniques where the hosts talks more than the guests, the same old tired format being peddled across all the channels.

Favorite Dress: I like dressing up, so I'm a fan of wearing suits and ties, the whole deal.

Favorite place to hang out: The beach, I don't ever want to be in a city that doesn't have one.

Favorite Movie: There are so many, but it’s probably a tie between ‘Lawrence of Arabia’ and ‘Almost Famous’.

Favorite Actors: Ed Norton & Christian Bale.

Characteristics that attract me as person: I love people who can laugh at themselves and really appreciate a good teasing. Being smart is also attractive. I'm a talker so the most attractive thing for me is someone who I can have a great conversation with.

Three Things I hate to do: Transporting musical equipment, doing TV interviews and dealing with sound guys.

As a kid I was: Always sick or injured.

What I always put off until tomorrow: Writing articles: Whether for my blog or for The Express Tribune.

My Craziest Fan: Luckily don't have any really crazy fans, occasionally get a couple of stalkers, both male and female online but then again, who doesn't?

Experience with Coke Studio: Incredible, overwhelming and hard to describe in a few words. But I think for us it made us feel like we'd finally done something worthwhile in the music industry and all our hard work finally paid off and got us the mass acceptance we'd been craving.

Success to me is: Finding one person out there who's listening to my song and smiling.

Question I hate: Ugh...every question about the name “Aunty Disco Project”. It’s been 4 years. Starting an interview with that question is just lazy.

Question I love: Anything to do with my song, its composition, inspiration and effect.

Food that makes me crazy: Chinese & Desi food.

Biggest Asset: My vocabulary: I can either impress people or confuse the hell out of them. Both results are good.

Music for me is like: Literature, or a painting, timeless and one of the few things truly human.

I define Music as: The way we were meant to communicate before words got in the way.

A moment in life that was truly romantic: Hah! I cannot reveal this. Let's just say there was a beach and a full moon involved.

My most prized possession: My guitar; seriously imagining life without it gives me crippling depression.

What is the real me like: Pretty shy and constantly over-analyzing.

My idea of perfect happiness: Being on a beach with the girl I love, somebody playing an acoustic guitar in the background and drinking something fruity with a little umbrella in it.

Three things that I like about myself: My sense of humor, my ability to grow facial hair really quickly and penchant for hardcore Bhangra dancing.

Three things that I dislike about myself: My tendency to over think things, my impulsiveness and my inability to say ‘no’ to people.

Biggest Regret: Not learning how to read music at an early age.

Inspiration: My heroes, Led Zeppelin, The Who, The Cure, Black Sabbat, Eric Clapton.

Motivation: My need to be accepted as a credible artist.

First instrument I learnt playing: The guitar, definitely.

Favorite Hero: Superman: I actually identified more with Clark Kent so I always dreamed of having that powerful other personality.

Favorite Quote: “God wisely designed the human body so that we can neither pat our own backs nor kick ourselves too easily. “

Biggest Passion: Definitely music by a long shot, but cricket or literature might be a close second.

 Biggest Desire: To win an Oscar for Best Song in a Movie.

Biggest Expectation: Being as big as Junoon.

Favorite Pastime: Reading or watching DVDs, usually while eating something unhealthy.

Favorite Song: Aww! You can't ask me that question, the list is too long.

Most Memorable Moment: Life is a series of memorable moments so it's hard to pick one, isn't it? I suppose the most recent one would be the day our performance of Coke Studio aired.

Source of Learning: There isn't a single source, and mine probably isn't different from anyone else. (But it’s usually Wikipedia!)

I hate people who: Have nothing positive to say about anything and are constant pessimists.

Favorite Season: Definitely winter in Karachi but not anywhere else.

Favorite Travel Resorts: Any place tropical with sandy beaches.

Zodiac Sign: Virgo

Biggest Weakness: Being too nice to people means I get taken advantage of quite a lot.

Biggest Strength: My speaking skills.

The biggest hurdle in my way: Myself, and my own self doubt.

I see the future of Pakistani music as: Pakistani music itself will always be great, but I can't say the same about the people who listen to Pakistani music.

My message to readers: Support upcoming bands, make an effort to find new music and actively tell your friends about it. It’s an exciting time to be a listener and fan of music, so be part of the movement instead of a bystander.