[Pakistan, Wednesday, 25th January’17]: Canadian/Pakistani actress Armeena Rana Khan has been climbing the ladder of success with each passing year and delivering one hit after the other on television and films simultaneously. Another noteworthy aspect of Armeena’s success has undoubtedly been her effortless acting in versatile roles.
Having faced difficulties in transitioning to Pakistan’s entertainment industry from the UK, Armeena’s dedication to her craft has not just been acknowledged but also greatly appreciated by fans. In a deliberate attempt to avoid being stereotyped, the actress has been very particular about the roles she takes up. Her portrayals of characters such as Fiza, a village girl with limited exposure in Mohabbat Ab Nahi Hogi or Dua, a traditional middle class girl in Ishq Parast, are a great example of her hard work.
When asked about difficulties in transferring to the Pakistani industry, Armeena admits “I found it challenging initially interpreting my characters and remember receiving a lot of critical feedback in the early years. Because of this I began researching my roles on a deeper level so that I could create memorable characters. It is tricky as an actor when you have not grown up in a place and I have to work a lot harder. But this where I excel because I promised myself that I would not be outworked by anyone when I am on a project.”
Armeena spent the past few weeks traveling to various smaller cities of Pakistan including Multan, Bhawalpur and Pak Pathan. She kept her fans updated through her social media accounts, and has now confirmed that these trips were part of her research for her latest role playing Haya, a shy and introverted but strong female lead in the upcoming Rasm-e-Duniya (ARY Television).
“I needed to immerse myself in the sounds, smells and above all beliefs of my character. I wanted to visit the shrines where she looks for hope in her dark hours. I wanted to experience going out in her world. How does she interact with strangers and shop keepers? How does she travel to their shops? I wanted to buy what she buys and feel what she feels. These small things help me understand her. Of course audiences will not see this work behind Haya but hopefully it will show through on your screens.”, shares Armeena.
2017 is going to be a milestone year for Armeena, as she will not only be making her Pakistani television comeback but her highly awaited movie project Yalghaar will also be releasing which is touted to be Pakistan’s most expensive movie so far. Her career will be taken a notch higher with two major international projects; British feature film The Real Target and The Achilles Protocol, a British sci-fi short film.
ABOUT ARMEENA RANA KHAN
Armeena Rana-Khan, better known by her stage name ‘Armeena Khan’ is a Canadian/Pakistani actress. After completing her initial schooling in Canada, Khan graduated with an Honours degree in Business from university in England. Thereafter she began a brief career in modeling and featured in print and television campaigns for various clothing and consumer brands including Nishat Linen and Faysal Bank. She went on to study Acting in London at Ealing and Pinewood studios before focusing on her acting career full time.
In 2012, Khan took on her first acting role in an Art house Indian film. This was followed by her first Pakistani role in the drama ‘Shabe-Arzoo Ka Alaam’ (ARY Digital). Khan went onto perform in two British short films, ‘Writhe’ and ‘Stranger Within Me’. These were selected for the 2013 and 2014 Cannes film festivals respectively (short film corner).
In 2014, Khan’s second Pakistani drama “Mohabbat Ab Nahi Hogi” proved to be a commercial success and firmly established Khan in the Pakistani Television industry. In 2015, Khan starred in two successful dramas, ‘Ishq Parast’ (ARY Digital) and ‘Karb’ (HUM TV). 2015 saw the International release of Khan’s first Pakistani feature film ‘Bin Roye.’ Additionally Khan is also the 2015 celebrity face of ‘Sprite’ in South Asia.
‘Janaan” which was the first sympathetic portrayal of Pushtoon culture, released in 2016 and became one of the biggest blockbusters of Pakistani cinema so far. Khan is currently working on one major feature film, ‘Yalghaar’, slated to be the most expensive Pakistani film to date.
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