Ayesha Kundi
Laila Wasti is a renowned Pakistani TV actress and director. She has a plethora of work under her belt. She is the daughter of the legendary actor Rizwan Wasti and his writer/actress wife Tahira Wasti.
Her journey through life has been exciting and hard. I spoke to her and found out what she was up to, her career and her story of survival.
You say you were shy, and you did not want to act, but once you started, you loved it. Tell us about the first day, your memory of when the journey began for you.
I never wanted to be an actor, but my parents never gave up on me. I was in Lahore, with my mother, who at the time was working on a project there. Late Nusrat Thakur sahib approached her about casting me as the lead character in the original drama ‘Anarkali‘. Because of unforeseen reasons that series got cancelled and being a sixteen-year-old, finding the entire experience daunting, I sighed with relief.
However, in Karachi my mother wrote for Kazim Pasha sahib. She wrote a tele-film called ‘Begum Haveli‘. I ended up loving the script. Simultaneously Kazim sahib asked my mother if I would play the lead role, I immediately said yes!
My first scene was with Zeenat Yasmeen sahiba. Once the scene started, it all came to me naturally. I realized that this is something I enjoy doing; I had to explore it on my own.
We fondly remember your parents as the versatile couple that reigned the Television. Tell us a bit about them.
My parents got married and lived in Karachi. My father, Rizwan Wasti, was very modern, proactive and a visionary. He was chivalrous, a gentleman, any woman walking into the room, he would stand up and offer his chair. My father was a banker and later took on acting as a passion.
My mother, Tahira Wasti, was a play writer and an actress. She loved Urdu literature and was always encouraging me. She believed that I would make a wonderful actor one day. She was kind and always by my side.
“My parents are the reason that I am an avid literature lover. My favorite genres are suspense and mystery.”
You have made a comeback after a long time. The DNA of dramas has totally changed. Do you that the dramas, today, carry the same weight as they did before?
There can not be a comparison. The mindset of the audiences and the actors was different. There was only one channel. The dramas back then were perfect for that time, and they appealed to the generation of that time. If you have a child today, they are going to be born ahead in decades of you. That child will not have the same thinking as you. Same goes for the dramas, they are different now because the audience has changed.
You have a degree from UCLA in Direction. Do you think we need institutions dedicated to film and drama in Pakistan?
Absolutely! I think there are many people giving classes at universities. I think the media sciences, direction and film making, now have a great importance all over the world.
When I did a few plays, I wanted to expand my horizons, and I wanted to become a director; I wanted to learn more so in 1998; I left for UCLA and did my Film Making there. I always wanted to come back to work in Pakistan. I did not want to stay there; I wanted to share my abilities and talent in Pakistan. I worked for Indus. Ghazanfar Ali sahib was the first person who gave me an opportunity to direct. I ended up directing my mother’s script.
Would we be seeing you directing a film or a drama soon?
Times have changed, the system works differently now. Years back I ended up working as a freelance, I did several projects with Hum TV and TV One. But I have not thought of when to return to direction. I am happy with where I am professionally.
“They informed me on Christmas Day 2008 that I had AML, I was devastated
You suffered from Leukemia, tell us of your cancer journey. What kept you going?
I was visiting friends and family in Maryland; my day was going fine until I collapsed. They rushed me to the Community Hospital, but then air lifted me to Johns Hopkins.
They informed me on Christmas Day 2008 that I had AML (acute myeloid leukaemia) and had to undergo chemotherapy. They informed me I had only 48 hours to live. Even though the news was distressing, I thanked God for all his countless blessings. I had the lowest blood count ever recorded. They later used my blood for research.
My parents and husband were devastated but could not immediately join me as they were in Pakistan. In this time of need, my best friend Azqa and my parents’ friend Goldie Auntie used to drive down for hours and visit me daily.
The treatment was so intense that I could not swallow, I could not eat and my hair fell, as a result I shaved off my head. I was weak, my body weight was around 80 lbs and I had zero energy. Opening my eyes was an effort. They inserted tubes through my arms and strong injections without anesthesia as my body was not strong enough. Pain has a lot of shades to it.
My husband’s support was unconditional, he was there with me throughout.My parents finally arrived, but they were beyond devastated. My mother would make all these foods I loved, but I could not eat. My parents tried everything to remain strong for me. The support, the love and kindness of my parents showed was overwhelming. All we could do was stay positive.
From Maryland they then moved me to the City of Hope Hospital in LA. The best team treated me; I would like to mention Dr. Anthony Stein and the nurses who took care of me and helped me through my journey. I was lucky enough to find a match for my bone marrow transplant, that would have happened in September 2009. I was so happy that I will get better now, but things took a turn. My body did not accept the transplant resulting in GVHD (graft-versus-host disease). I was hospitalized again; they gave me steroids.
Steroids work as a double-edge sword, where they helped me overcome GVHD, they also made my bones weak. After some time, I found it difficult to walk, so we went back to the hospital. I ended up with having avascular necrosis in my left hip. The doctors had to pump in cement in my femur to keep it from collapsing. It was painful and trying. I had to rely on others for most activities. I used crutches for most of the remaining year.
“My husband’s support was unconditional, he was there with me throughout.”
You had further complications, but you bravely faced what was to come. Did you ever lose hope?
I never lost hope, my faith, and belief in Allah kept me going. At every step I praised Him for keeping me going and giving me the strength to carry on.
Almost a year later, in January, my hip started hurting again. They discovered that the cement did not support me well enough, and now I needed to have a total hip replacement. Whilst I waited for the hip replacement surgery. My father, Rizwan Wasti, who also had a hip replacement surgery in Pakistan, passed away. It was a very testing time. My beloved father, who sent me care packages from Pakistan to LA, was no more. My mother, knowing fully well the complications that can arise, rushed to my side. My surgery went well, so my mother returned to Pakistan in May of the same year.
In June my right knee started hurting, the doctors advised knee replacement. The day they advised me, I had tears in my eyes for the first time. My husband who had supported me throughout was also sad. We felt like this was unending.After the surgery; I had promised my mother I will celebrate her birthday with her, so I flew to Pakistan. I spent a few months with her. She fell ill in March 2012 and sadly passed away.
“I knew, if He gave me the pain, He will get me out of it too.”
What message would you like to give our readers?
Yesterday is gone, tomorrow is not promised, but this moment is the life as we know, to make the most of this moment. People either live in the past or worry for the future. No matter what you do, you can’t pull the yesterday into today or today into tomorrow. So live in the now!
