Meesha Shafi
| Meesha Shafi | |
|---|---|
 Shafi with Mira Nair at the screening of The Reluctant Fundamentalist at Doha Tribeca Film Festival in Doha, Qatar. | |
| Background information | |
| Birth name | Meera Shafi |
| Born |
1981 (age 34–35) Lahore, Punjab, Pakistan |
| Occupation(s) | Singer, actress, model |
| Instruments | Vocals, lyrics |
| Associated acts | Coke Studio Pakistan and Overload |
| Website |
meeshashafi |
Meesha Shafi (Urdu: میشا شفیع) is a Pakistani actress, model and a singer.[1]
Shafi made her film debut with a supporting role in the 2013 Mira Nair's film The Reluctant Fundamentalist. The following year she appeared in Bollywood film Bhaag Milkha Bhaag, which ranks among the highest-grossing Bollywood films of 2013 in India. She achieved further critical success for her role of Laxmi, in an Indian spy agency Research and Analysis Wing in the 2013 Bilal Lashari's action thriller Pakistani film Waar, which ranks among the highest-grossing Pakistani films of all time in Pakistan.
Early life
Shafi was born into a Punjabi family in Lahore, Pakistan to actress Saba Hameed and Syed Pervaiz Shafi. She did her A Levels from Lahore Grammar School and graduated with a degree in fine arts from National College of Arts in 2007.[2]
Shafi has done extensive modeling as a child star for multinational brands like Coca Cola, Panda Ice Cream, Fuji Films and local companies Nirala sweets and Bobby Shoes. Shafi was a competitive swimmer during her school years, and won two gold medals in inter-school diving competitions. She learnt Kathak, an eastern classical dance, under the tutelage of dance maestro Ami Minwala for eight years.
Career
Modelling
Shafi entered the modelling industry at the age of 17, when she starred opposite Jawad Ahmed in the music video for the song "Bin Teray Kya Hai Jeena".[3] In 2009 Shafi became the brand ambassador for L'Oreal Paris Pakistan.[2][4] She has featured in many Pakistani magazines and in international publications such as L'Officiel and Vogue India.[3] She has appeared in commercials for Coca-Cola, Fanta, LG mobile phones, Mobilink, Allied Bank, Lipton Tea, Sprite among others. Shafi also won the "Best Show Stopper" Award at the "Paper Awards 2013" by Paper Magazine. In 2013, Shafi was named among the 100 most influential people in Pakistan by international franchise Hello magazine.
Acting
Shafi made her screen debut with the 2006 serial Muhabbat Khawab Ki Soorat on Hum TV. She then appeared in Geo TV serial Ye Zindagi To Woh Nahi in 2007
She made her film debut with Mira Nair's 2012 Hollywood film, The Reluctant Fundamentalist (based on Mohsin Hamid's novel of the same name), alongside Kate Hudson and Riz Ahmed. The film describes the bad impact of Americans toward Muslims after 9/11. Shafi played a confident, modern-day Pakistani singer. The film received mixed reviews from critics, and failed to break even at the box office;[5][6] however, Shafi's performance was praised by critics.[7]
While talking about her selection in The Reluctant Fundamentalist she said,
"I was selected for the film without audition. Mira Nair invited me to meet her when she was in Lahore scouting for actors. At that time I didn't even know what I was going to meet her for. But once the role was offered to me, I did not hesitate in taking it up. Opportunity comes, and I've been very lucky with that."
The following year, she starred in Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra's Bollywood film Bhaag Milkha Bhaag, alongside Farhan Akhtar and Sonam Kapoor. The plots is based on the life of Milkha Singh, an Indian athlete who was a national champion runner and an Olympian. Shafi played the rebellious Olympic swimmer, Perizaad, who was romantically attracted to Milkha Singh. The film opened to critical acclaim and was termed as a huge box office success and was the third highest-grossing Bollywood film of 2013 in India. Shafi earned critical acclaim for her performance.
She then acted in Bilal Lashari's Pakistani film Waar, alongside Shaan Shahid. The film rank among the currently second highest-grossing Pakistani film of all time in Pakistan. Her portrayal of Laxmi, an Indian spy agency Research and Analysis Wing's operative was critically praised. The movie won her the 'Best Supporting Actress' award at the ARY Film Awards in 2014.
As of October 2013, Shafi had several projects in production and was filming Hollywood film The Tournament of Shadows (based on the Karl Meyer's novel of the same name), a biopic set in the 1800s.
Shafi has just completed shooting for her lead role in a period play Mor Mahal produced by Babar Javed in collaboration with GEO TV network. It is by veteran scriptwriter Sarmad Sehbai and directed by Sarmad Khoosat of Humsafar and Manto fame. It is the most expensive production in Pakistan's show biz industry.
Mor Mahal is set somewhere in the mid-19th century, a fantasy revolving around the royals of the subcontinent. The costume drama was slated for an international, global release around new year's 2015/2016.
Music career
Shafi started her singing career with the band Overload with her husband, but left in 2011. Shafi achieved popularity for her collaboration with Arif Lohar on Coke Studio Pakistan Season 3, with the song "Alif Allah (Jugni)". The single with Lohar gathered over 20 million+ views on YouTube, is the most-viewed Coke Studio song ever, and was used in several films like Cocktail, Diary of a Butterfly and Jugni.
She sang a rendition of the folk song "Chori Chori", which also was highly viewed on YouTube and received critical acclaim. She returned to Coke Studio (Season 5) in 2012 when she sang "Ishq Aap Bhi Awalla" with the Chakwalees and sang a ghazal by Faiz Ahmad Faiz, "Dasht-e-Tanhai". In 2014, Meesha Shafi returned to the Coke Studio floor for a third time to perform "Sun Ve Balori" with the composer and tabla guru Ustad Tafu and producers Strings. This song saw her return to her rock roots and "powerhouse singing style" that has become her signature. She has contributed to the soundtrack of The Reluctant Fundamentalist in a track produced by Mahmood Rahman.
In 2015, Meesha Shafi lent her vocals to two OSTs. One being 'EVA' that was produced by Strings is featured on the soundtrack of the critically acclaimed film Moor, released in August 2015, and directed by ace director Jami.
In August 2015, she released 'Mehram Dilaan De Mahi' for the OST of the biopic (directed and portrayed on screen by Sarmad Khoosat), based on the life and works of prose writer, Manto. The track is produced by True Brew Records and the lyrics are by Punjabi poet Shiv Kumar Batalvi. 'Manto' released across cinemas on 11 September 2015.
TV appearance
In April 2013, Shafi joined veterans of the music industry Strings, Ali Azmat, Shahzad Hasan and Alamgir as a judge and mentor on the singing talent show Cornetto Music Icons, aired on ARY Digital.
Personal life
Shafi belongs to a family of writers, painters and actors.
Her maternal grandfather, Hamid Akhtar was an award winning novelist and columnist. President of the 'Progressive Writers' Movement and editor of countless Urdu daily newspapers like Imroz and Nawa-e-Waqt, Hamid Akhtar was awarded with a 'Pride of Performance' in 2010.
Shafi's mother, veteran theater and television actress Saba Hamid, is a Pakistani actress who has been gracing the screens for over 35 years. She has won countless awards and was awarded the 'Pride of Performance' (a national award given to those with extraordinary contribution and achievement in the liberal arts field) in 2012.
Shafi married guitarist/music producer and fellow Overload band member, Mahmood Rahman, in 2008. Both are graduates of the National College of Arts from where they got a Bachelors in Fine Arts degrees. They are parents to daughter Janevi Rahman and son Kazimir Rahman.
Acting
Filmography
| Year | Film | Role | Language | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2013 | The Reluctant Fundamentalist | Bina Khan | English | |
| 2013 | Bhaag Milkha Bhaag | Perizaad | Hindi | |
| 2013 | Waar | Zoya, Laxmi | Urdu, English | ARY Film Award for Best Supporting Actress[8] |
| 2014 | The Tournament of Shadows | English | Filming |
TV
| Year | Show | Role | Language | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 | Mor Mahal | Farrukh Zaad | Urdu |
Discography
| Year | Title |
|---|---|
| 2009 | Pichal Pairee |
| 2012 | The Reluctant Fundamentalist |
Coke Studio songs
| Year | Song | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 2010 | 'Chori Chori' | Originally sung by Reshma. |
| 2010 | 'Alif Allah' | Performed with Arif Lohar. |
| 2012 | 'Dasht-e-Tanhai' | Originally sung by Iqbal Bano. |
| 2012 | 'Ishq Aap Bhe Awalla' | Performed with Chakwal Group. |
| 2014 | 'Sunn Ve Balori' | Originally sung by Noor Jehan. |
| 2014 | 'Jugni' |
Lollywood
| Year | Song | Film | Composer |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2015 | EVA | Moor | Strings |
See also
References
- ↑ "About: Meesha Shafi". Web PK. Retrieved 13 August 2011.
- 1 2 "Meesha interview with Fashion Central". Fashion Central. 6 April 2010. Retrieved 13 August 2011.
- 1 2 Mansuri, Anam. "It's getting hot in here". Tribune Pakistan.
- ↑ Hirani, Shireen. "Meesha Shafi Biography & Pictures". Fashion in Step. Retrieved 24 January 2013.
- ↑ http://www.boxofficemojo.com/movies/?page=intl&id=reluctantfundamentalist.htm
- ↑ http://www.nytimes.com/2013/04/21/movies/mira-nair-on-the-reluctant-fundamentalist.html?_r=1
- ↑ http://magazine.thenews.com.pk/mag/detail_article.asp?id=5309&magId=11
- ↑ http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/entertainment/30-Apr-2014/waar-dominates-ary-film-awards-with-13-major-wins