Ayesha Kundi Simi Raheel is one of the most celebrated veteran actresses of Pakistan. She started her acting career in 1976. Spanning over four decades she recently launched a YouTube channel where she plays the character called Notty Nani. She is also a part of her son’s YouTube channel Chang the Puppet.
She is an educationist and teaches currently at Beaconhouse National University. I had a rare opportunity to speak to her about her career, her passion and her thoughts on feminism.
You have tremendous achievements in education, but the audience knows you as an actor, tell us how it all started?
I never, in my wildest dreams, thought that it would be a career or a path that would be part of my life. I can safely say that I didn’t choose acting, it chose me.
I was at NCA, studying Textile Design. Initially, I designed clothes for family and friends. It didn’t quite excite me as much. I love being an artist and I think the expression came through as an actor.
I started working with PTV in 1976, Aik Mohobat Sau Asfanay, was my first drama. The script was by the Late Ashfaq Ahmed, It was pure and simple, an accident.
You have a varied portfolio covering Gender Sensitization, Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights, Women Empowerment and Leadership and Diversity and Inclusion. In your opinion, where does Pakistan stand when it comes to all these factors?
Where everyone else is, nowhere! There are a handful of countries, if one was to say these are governments or these are the decision makers that follow the guidelines of gender sensitivity and reproductive health, it’s just not done. Unless the legislation of a country that legislates against issues that are detremental to the health and moral values of a society, legislation is the only way.
People talk about it and they have been talking about it for years. Now more so, because they have access to media. I have been with international trainers and I have travelled the world, if somebody was to ask me about the UK or the US or India or anywhere else for that matter , there’s not much difference! Pakistan sells itself much better to get funding by highlighting these issues more.
Highlighting issues and getting down to doing something about it are two completely different things. For governments all over the world these are not the things on the agenda. Lets face it, these are not things that make money.
Feminism is about the balance in society, it’s not a fight.
Simi Raheel
In past few years we have seen an influx in women, rightfully, gaining awareness about their rights. Now they are annually gathering on the streets, asking for respect and more so, what rightfully is theirs. But you recently said that ‘feminism is redundant.’ Why so?
Yes it is! There is this confusion. Feminism was started because women wanted to be included in the mainstream. It started from them asking for the right to vote, they wanted to come into the voting system so they could have a say in the legislation of their country. Thats how it began.
Over many years the sensitisation, the realisation, the actual implementation of womens rights and everything else was looked at but then came the third world feminist, who I am, I am the third wave. We realised something very important, that pure feminism disturbs the balance of the society unless you put it in context, its not a fight. When you fight people, you get no where.
If you design something quietly and over a period of time, change and transform the opinions and mindsets of people, that is how you bring in a balance. It is about the balance of the society, it’s not a fight.
Do you think our generation is cashing on it?
It is! And in the process getting no where with it. When you fight a society you create more aggravation than resolve. How do you expect resolving a situation when you’re angry? We need to think calmly, I am not saying women should get beaten or their place is in the kitchen. I come from a family of intellects and educationists, my thinking is for the future.
What is the context of women in Pakistan? They have a religion and they have a culture, if they work inside the realms of these, then it is going to work for them, otherwise if they are going to fight the religion and the culture where are they going to go?
I don’t get this mind set, are these women talking about equal pay? Are they talking about shorter hours? Are they talking about legislation? No, they are not! They are not addressing the core issues.
The most important thing I have been teaching is gender balance. I have a thirty years experience in the field, I am not just putting two and two together, only because I feel things. I am talking about transformation of the socitey and humanity. Adversity is not the solution!
Information is not necessarily knowledge.
Simi Raheel
This week is a mental health awareness week, here in the UK, do you feel we need to lift this taboo surrounding depression, anxiety and stress and talk about it openly, especially how it affects our young generation?
In the past four years I’ve been teaching at a film school, my relationship with my students is of a teacher and a counsellor. They can come to me and I try my best to do as much as I can. I realised the serious issues of today’s youth and the distance between them. This is another generation, they think differently, they operate differently.
I have learnt from my children. It was not easy. I have taught and trained youth for so many years, I can speak their language and I understand their angst and frustration. I can listen to their issues and give them a different percpective. I am not saying I can resolve them, I can just listen to them when they need to be heard.
Where do you think this angst and frustration arises from?
A lot of things. Number one, it comes from not being rooted, you need to be rooted with culture or religion or family.
Unfortunatley there are so many influences, like social media and consumerism, open to the youth today that there is more confusion and more chaos. The fact is that information is not, necessarily, knowledge.
You are one of the founding members of the Actors Guild Pakistan, do you think we need institutions dedicated to film and drama?
It was myself, Omair Rana, Ateeqa Odho and Noman Ijaz, we started this over 10 years ago, I am not an office holder but we started it and now its a recognised entity. We definitely need an institution dedicated to Film and Drama because if we expect professionalism, it needs to be taught, it doesn’t come naturally to people. We need teachers, who are in the field, to teach because teaching theory is not enough.
Change is neither positive nor negative, its effect is negative or positive.
Simi Raheel
You played the character of a staunch Punjabi mother in ‘Teefa in Trouble’. What kind of a mother are you in real life?
I am a bit of both. I allowed my children to follow the paths that they wanted to follow in their life. In my heart, I am a flower child so I generally allowed them the choice of where to live and what career to choose, keeping some boundaries.
Tell us about Notty Nani, how close is it to reality?
Since TV channels have dedicated their air time to politics people need to understand there are other aspects of life. The character is very close to reality. I realised the best way to pass on important messages to people was with humour, if you are harsh, they feel like being lectured, so the character of Notty Nani came to life.
Our films and dramas are being revived and changed constantly, do you feel this change is positive? Where do you see our entertainment industry in the next few years?
Change is neither positive nor negative, its effect is negative or positive.
We knew who we were long time ago, we kind of got lost in between. We are trying to find ourselves but then comes the consumerism, the ratings, and making the money, all that has had a huge impact.
I have seen a huge change in dramas. We see monotonous characters played by the same actors. You feel actors need to explore their talent more so than ever?
I have lots of favourite words, but my most favourite is brave. If you don’t have the courage to step out of your skin. Who are you as an actor? You are not you, you are the character that you play. Actors can take on anything, if you are not brave enough or if you are not intellectually aware enough to to understand all that
We have seen many veteran actors and actresses almost becoming the character they played. You think we lack that quality now?
The value system has changed. Before, you were known for being an actor, an artist, it was journey to explore the character. Now you see people coming in for fame and money. When you can buy followers, and everything is about social media popularity, why would you work hard? In other words, jo dikhta hai wo bikta hai.
Lastly, what message would you like to give our readers?
I have two things to say ‘ Get a life guys! Stop taking yourself seriously, have fun! You only live once.’
Secondly my grandfather said to me when I was young ‘To thine on yourself be true and it must follow as the night and the day thou canst to be wrong anyone.’ –Hamlet
Watch Simi Raheel on her son, Danyal Raheel’s YouTube show Chang The Puppet.
