Talent has no religion: Pakistani actress Humaima Malick

Mumbai: 'Bol' star Humaima Malick, who is paired opposite actor Emraan Hashmi in the upcoming film 'Raja Natwarlal', says she was initially apprehensive to work with the actor.

The 26-year-old Pakistani actress said her perception about the 'Jannat' actor changed drastically after starring in the crime-comedy film, directed by Kunal Deshmukh.

"I was worried about becoming Emraan Hashmi's heroine in the film. I had some mis-conceptions about him which I had developed after watching his films.

"But the moment I met him, all those theories about him proved false as he is an extremely shy person in real life. He is not only a good actor but a good husband and father too. I am lucky that Emraan gave me one of the most memorable roles of my career," Humaima told PTI in an interview.

The the model-turned-actress admits that the kissing scenes in the film bothered her initially but she agreed as they went with the story.

"My last film was 'Bol' and there I played a typical woman who does not even let her veil fall from her head. And in her next project, if she gets to kiss her co-star then I think anybody would be worried. But I made myself strong with the thought that 'talent has no religion'. It was just a role," she said.

In the film, Humaima is playing a bar dancer and to prepare for the character she visited the bars in the city.

"I did a lot of hard-work to play this role as this culture is not there in Pakistan. My director took me to various bars and I observed the body language of those dancers. It's a very tough job they are doing and I have immense respect for them," Humaima said.

Humaima bagged the offer to star in the film last year during her visit to Dubai. "I got a call from UTV office 10 months ago and they asked me to come to India to give an audition for the film. They told me everything about the film on phone. I was in Dubai at that time and was going to India next. I auditioned for the role and got a call after three months," she said.

A true Bollywood film buff, Humaima says she did not expect she would be starring in a Bollywood film at such an early stage of her career. "Bollywood films are very popular back home. We have similar culture and language so even Pakistanis love to watch Bollywood films. I am a big fan of Madhuri Dixit since my teenage days and have been following her career since then," she added.

The actress, who started her journey with the small screen, however, has no plans to return to the medium. "I don't want to do TV. I like cinema and want to explore more," she added.