Marina Khan was born in December 26, 1962 to a pathan family. She is a famous Pakistan actress Peshawar, Pakistan. She has worked in many blockbuster drama serials, such as Tanhaiyaan, Dhoop Kinare and Nijaat. Marina Khan’s mother is English and her father Pakistani, who served in the Pakistan Air Force. True to her Capricorn star sign, Marina is a lively, humorous, romantic, committed and sensitive person, with a special love for cats and dogs.
Personal life
She spent her childhood in Peshawar where her father was posted. Marina Khan is married to TV producer Jaleel Akhtar. “Marina has recently migrated to Canada. Once settled, she’ll see how things work out. She feels that the decision to go abroad is a good option, as one doesn’t know what the future holds here. “It is such a political yo-yo here. One day there is no censorship and then one hears that the duppatta policy is in place. I feel that it is not fair on the people who have put money and hard work in a feature only to suddenly hear that certain things cannot be shown because of a sudden change in policy. If you have the means, capability, and are intelligent enough, there is no harm in having an option. Having an option does not mean that you are betraying your country because no one can take your country away from you.”
Professional career
Marina Khan made her debut in a PTV drama called “Rashid Minhas Shaheed”. She received her real breakthrough from popular drama serial Tanhaiyaan in which she appeared along with Shehnaz Shiekh. Currently Marina Khan hosts a popular morning show programme on ARY Digital called Marina Mornings. Its last show was aired on July 19, 2008. Besides, she also runs a production house named as Fat-Cat Production. She has hosted a number of cooking shows.
Marina Khan is an actor who needs no introduction, whose name is synonymous with many successful plays. She is a Director and Producer and owner of Fat Cat Productions, a joint venture with her husband, Jalil Akhtar.
Marina Khan made her debut in a PTV drama called “Rashid Minhas Shaheed”. She received her real breakthrough from popular drama serial Tanhaiyaan. Marina is also currently the good will representative of WWF.
“Began an acting career in the Marina with a long play, Minhas Rashid. Soon after came the series hit, Tanhaiyan, which gave her a moment of recognition and the title of “Pink Panther”. Since then, she worked Khan in a number of plays, which include: a sense; Incense Kinaray; Nijaat; Farrar, Tom itself kahna tha; Khalil haath and Tanha, a series in India by certain Haseena was broadcast recently of a new Star Plus. It is also involved in the theater with Yasmin Ismail and Rahat Kazmi. Now Marina has ventured in the direction of and for the first time with, hello Tom to it. Khan also runs a production company, ‘FAT CAT “production.” God bless Pakistan
Marina remembers her childhood fondly
“My father was in the Forces so we practically had to shift base every two years. Each time we moved, there was a new school and environment. The real friends that I made during my school days were when I got into class eight. I don’t have what would you call ‘childhood friends’. The thing with so much shifting around is that one never develops any deep association for any institute. Otherwise, I enjoyed the process of packing, going to a new home, decorating my new room and all. It was fun but I am sure my parents got fed up with all the shifting. My brother, Zarak, was not around the house as he was sent to a boarding school to ensure he had steady schooling. I guess I did feel lonely. Despite the fact that we fought a lot, it was wonderful when he used to come home.”
So how did Marina enter this field
“My friend, Kehkashan Awan was working in the serial, Jungle, and I used to go with her to the studios just to see what it was all about. The assistant director to Shehzad Khalil (who produced and directed Rashid Minhas) had met me and I think at that point he was looking for a new face and asked me if I had ever acted or had thought about it. I replied that I had acted once in a while in school and college. I also told him that Urdu was my weak point. He was quite fine with it and named five people who have problems speaking in Urdu! He managed to convince me. After that came Tanhaiyan, which was also Shehzad Khalil’s production.”
Marina has fond memories of those days. The ‘Tanhaiyan “classic, and it became just one of those plays. Although we did not have any means of competition at the time, and was a great success. Was Shehzad Khalil, the main force behind Tanhaiyan, and this is one of the reasons that I chose to work in this play. He was the Director of amazing. “and the script writer, Haseena particular, and was afraid too – gave clear, there was no this is not one (to me) from any place, but Shehzad owner has full confidence in me and I saw behind the Urdu for me to convince Haseena father, Lee scene from Ankahi. Shehzad and made me rehearse the owner.
Had made up his mind that he wanted me in Tanhaiyan. I went early to the studio and is keen to exercise and when the moment came, I was there, and there was Haseena father, sitting in one corner, and I was very nervous! “And how it did not succeed in overcoming the problem with her Urdu?” I used to go two to three hours early for rehearsals and sit down with the assistant director, Shaheen Ansari, and re-writing the same text, read it along the way. By the time the actors will come, I was prepared perfectly. I remember the judge once commented, ‘Yeh Ladki thukwaya Khun Ji. “We had a lot of fun during Tanhaiyan and we were like one big family happy.”
Household Name
The role of Saniya made Marina a household name and she is still identified with that character. “Nobody allowed me to come out of character. I was also very comfortable with it, but after a while I said I couldn’t do the same thing again and again. If you have a good director you don’t mind, as he/she will get the best out of you. But if you leave it up to me, I’ll do it the way I have always liked to do it with a good director. For instance, I thoroughly enjoyed Tum se kehna tha. Sahira guided me and would tell me not to be Saniya”. Right after Tanhaiyan, Marina did a serious role in Ehsas, which was a total change. After that came Dhoop kinaray, a mix of the comic and the serious. Her character in this serial was quite memorable as Marina romanced with Rahat Kazmi.
Though she considers herself to be a romantic person by heart and believes in projecting romance and love as much as she can while directing, when it comes to doing romantic scenes, she finds herself unable to romance on screen. “During the making of this serial, I literally sailed through. I was on cloud nine as I was madly in love on a personal front. My mind was somewhere else. I just didn’t want to be in the studio and I didn’t feel like doing the romantic scenes with Rahat. I would start laughing during the scenes. Rahat would get upset as he hated the fact that I was starring opposite him and he kept calling me ‘kal ki bachci’ who couldn’t even speak Urdu correctly. Sahira literally yelled at me, and at the same time coaxed her husband to do a romantic scene with me. She was definitely caught between the devil and the deep blue sea. But now when I watch that play, it seems so effortless – hats off to Sahira, she handled it all so well.”
Television Long Plays
* Rashid Minhas Shaheed – PTV
Television Serials
* Tanhaiyaan (1985) – PTV
* Ehsaas (1987) – PTV
* Dhoop Kinare (1987) – PTV
* Padosi (1992) – NTM
* Nijaat (1993) – PTV
* Farar (1996)
* Tumse Kehna Tha (-)
* Khali Haath (-)
* Tanha – Star Plus
Interview
Marina Khan an actor who needs no introduction, whose name is synonymous with many a successful play. A Director and Producer, owner of Fat Cat Productions, a joint venture with her husband, Jalil Akhtar. Above all, Marina is a woman whose grown and matured into a her own.
When and where were you born?
I was born on 26th of December, in Peshawar
So that makes you what sign?
Aquarius, I think.
Do you believe in the signs of the zodiac?
She appears amused by the suggestion, No. I like reading about them, but I don’t believe in them. On reconfirming Marina’s zodiac birth sign it appeared she really wasn’t into signs; Ms Khan was not an Aquarius, but in actual fact a Capricorn.
How would you describe yourself?
Impossible No, not really but I am stubborn. I like to celebrate life. No, I’m not a control freak, and I like to let go if I know the person can do the job like Maryam is one such person. I trust her, even some of my camera men Naeem, Farhan and Mehmud Mirza. (Musing) Okay! I think I may be just a bit of a control freak, but only because I want the perfect picture at the end of the day!
On the topic of her Khan roots: My father was Pakhtoon and my mother is English. In fact my mother was born and brought up in this part of the world. My (maternal) great grand parents had migrated to India and so both my grandfather and my grandmother were brought up in India. My Nana was in the Police, and when partition happened he chose to come to Pakistan. However, eventually most of my Mom’s family moved to Australia. How did her parents meet? My parents met in Pakistan but marriage was a big no, no on both sides of the families. My maternal grandfather didn’t speak to my mother for almost six months to a year after she married my father.
Marriages made in heaven Somehow, I feel no matter how liberal one is, when it comes to ones own children, parents become conservative. She says matter-of-factly of her own 16 year marriage and the waves it created at the time: Even though Mom had been through the marriage thing with her parents (laughing), I thought it was all kosher for me with regards to Kutchu. Conversions Kutchu nee Jalil Akhtar, was a Christian before converting to Islam on meeting her. I was around 26 or so when I met Kutchu at my friend Sonia’s engagement. He was great company. He wanted to meet me because he’d seen Tanhaiyan. There was no love at first sight for either though. She laughs and recall, There was program on Tanhaiyan that Shehzad Saab put on, which was about bloopers on the set. Kutchu saw that and he is such a anyways before seeing it he thought I was a total UMT (Urdu Medium Type).
So he had no desire to meet the UMT types! When I spoke in English is when he realized achah mil saktay hai. Marina laughingly does a quip on her marriage situation then, by borrowing the oft repeated filmi dialogue. It was like, Yeh shadi nahi ho sakti but we eventually married in December 1989. But seriously I couldn’t have asked for a better guy – Marriage to Kutchu has been great. I don’t feel like I’m married. Just feels like we’re just good friends.
I mean one doesn’t know why these things happen, but they do. It was a time period in their (parents) life and they were dealing with a situation. I understood it as we come from different generations. I don’t expect them to understand what I’m trying to say. I also don’t expect myself to totally negate where they’re coming from. So where I was concerned, I just asked them to give me a reason and I said would think about it; but there was no solid reason, there concerns bordered on what they thought would happen to me society.
Conversion of… Kutchu, had to convert. At the time I was much more religious (she laughs) and wasn’t going to change my religion and since he didn’t seem to think it was an issue.
The soothsayer’s prediction: I knew my family was going to adore Kutchu. Now I’m like second fiddle to him when it comes to my parents. So, alls well that ends well.
Kids It wasn’t something that we decided that we are not going to have them Kids is always the biggest factor in mixed marriages you know what mazhab (religion) and all, but I was very clear about that also. I think that one should always take on the religion of the country, regardless. We are a very intolerant and narrow-minded society, after a certain point its then up to the kids to know what religion they want to follow. I think every human being needs to have individuality.
Anyways, we knew we were going to wait. One has to give their marriage time, at least 2 years before having a child. One has to develop a bond. If you have a kid immediately, the husband starts to feel neglected, especially if it’s a love marriage. One has to get to know each other its very different going out with someone and very different living with them. Everyone around us had kids and we love our nieces and nephews but we didn’t want to take them home with us! Anyways, delay hotay, hotay things have just become so comfortable without. People keep telling us you’re depriving this, that and the other but it’s our life! It’s not as though I don’t think about the future God forbid something happens to either one of us, and just thinking about being alone in the future but then there’s no guaranty that those kids will be around for us. What really terrifies me is being an invalid. If it’s not Kutchu looking after me then I don’t want to be dependent on anyone else; I’d rather just go. I would not want to be a burden to anyone.
How did Kutchu and you start your Production House? Well, Kutchu used to work in a 9 to 5 job in a computer firm but didn’t like the routine of timings Do you feel you had to convince him to come into the entertainment line? Marina replies, I don’t think it would have mattered if I had. It was his choice. One has to do, what they have to do. If a person believes in what they’re doing, then they will succeed. On a lighter note, Anyways, this is more fun because we’re together! to continue Kutchu and I were working with Blazon, the advertising agency, doing music videos etc. when he started coming over to our side.
He’d had always loved game shows and wanted to put one together. Asif (Reza Mir) funded it, but we had to make it obviously as a private company, so that’s how Fat Cat Productions happened in 93; the name Fat Cat, is after our cat, the very fat Jack and was suggested by Bilal Maqsood (Strings) who was also working at Blazon at the time. Jack by the way has his own throne room in one of Marina’s bathrooms, from where he almost never deigns to emerge. Getting back to Fat Cats: The first show we put on was called, The Game Show. I helped Kutchu out back then as there was lots to. After that, the next major thing was Marina’s Kitchen, which basically brought us into the limelight. And the rest is history.
On being a Director: I started Directing plays around 94 95. The first one I Produced and Directed myself. I did it, so as to be able to judge myself. To see if this was something I could do or not. The play was called, Ghar Toh Akhir Apna Hai, it was a lot of fun because it was almost like a home production; there was Bado (Badar Khalil) and her family, then there were all these kid Shakeel, Nosheen Masood and the writer himself and then of course I had Qazi Saab with me and others. At the time I tried to take experienced people so I could work on my craft more. I directed it the way I knew drama to be, sets and two cameras however, that was then, I now use the single camera technique.
My play, Umeed-e-Seher, came about soon after, all done with the single camera. That was also the first time I worked with Humayun Saeed. Candid as always she immediately bursts out, Don’t watch it! Back tracking, No I mean actually I loved the play, but technically well there were things that you know are a not acceptable I feel I could have done it better. Its something I would like to redo again. I also feel really bad for my actors in that particular drama because I was actually learning through them!! I put them through such a lot of crap because of it!
Do you think it makes a difference to be educated in the field of Direction from a film school?
Marina replies, Well, I think it can work both ways. I mean I feel it strange when people learn about it and go straight into Direction. I mean there are certain things about Production that only experience can teach you. I’ve worked with the best and have been in this side (before and behind the camera) for the last 14 years, I’ve also worked with the worst. It’s been a learning experience, which has given me time to see whether I can do it or not. I’ve loved the whole process. I know this is what I want to do. I feel acting gave me direction, and the direction was coming behind the camera.
