This week, we bring you eight fantastic females who made it big enough to enter the LSA by making a mark both in the field of acting and direction …

Music, drama, theatre, plays… our entertainment industry is growing day by day. What began as one TV channel way back in the ’60s, airing everything from news to dramas, now has turned into a scenario where we have a separate channel for every genre of entertainment - be it music, drama, or simply news. Of course, it brought forth a lot of artists amongst which women carved a niche of their own. Now, they are not just confined to acting but have ventured into film making and production as well.

Truly one of the best video directors in Pakistan, Sohail Javed has come a long, long way. His videos have left a mark in the Pakistani pop music industry, and have been an inspiration for the new generation of video directors.

How many years have you been in this field?

It’s been eleven years. I started out in 1993 as a director, borrowed money from somewhere and made a programme.

Were you assisting someone?

Nope. I’ve never assisted anyone. I am not the sort who would assist someone. I know people who were assistants eleven years ago and are still assistants, or are trying to figure out what they want to do or have changed their profession. They’ve been let down and mistreated.

Under which banner are you working?

My company is called Saya films. It’s an independent film company. We ‘ll be starting a film this January.

Film as in film?

Yes. It’s basically a 100-minute English film. The script is 70% in English, 20% in Urdu and 10% in Punjabi. It’s called Baavan (52). Shahzad Nawaz is producing it, and I’m directing it. We’re making it on 35 mm.