by ZARA FAROOQUI
Yes, Mathira is that girl on Vibe TV famous for, among other things, admonishing an offensive male caller on her late-night show for saying that crude thing he said.
(Mathira’s mother is Pakistani and her father is South African. In the show the male caller praises her beauty and dressing style a number of times and then demands: “I want to suck your boobs.” She admonishes him to go to his wife and if unmarried then to get married or to find some other way to vent out his frustration. “Hey kiddo! Live show is not the place to vent out your frustration,” she added. Ed.)
From what little we know of her, courtesy her on-screen presence, we’ve drawn one basic conclusion: with her outrageously out-there physique, which she does little to camouflage, vivacious attitude, and a charming (read: suggestive) way of expressing herself, Mathira is Pakistani entertainment’s favourite ‘bad girl’ who challenges conventional mindsets with no hesitation.
As I walked into her office, I expected to meet a boisterous bombshell sporting lots of make-up and attitude; you know, the one we see on late-night TV in her low-cut blouses and high-riding hemlines where she flirts, poses, makes cutesy noises and excites her viewers. To my surprise, Mathira was quite the opposite: sweet, sober, and dressed down – far from the gossip mills’ favourite sex symbol. “Ask me anything you like,” she smiled. “I’ll tell you whatever you want to know.” And that’s how the interview started.
The child of an African father and Pakistani mother, Mathira, whose name means ‘pretty woman’ in Hebrew, was born and has lived in Zimbabwe for most of her 18-year-old life (yes, she’s that young!). She describes her life there as “very different” from her life in Pakistan. “In Zimbabwe, I was a free bird with wings. I was a very carefree kid and used to do stupid stuff,” she says. A bonafide tomboy whose posse consisted only of male friends, Mathira admits that she was never very good at school and always took a keener interest in sports. “I always won trophies for hurdles and relays, but I remember the first time I won something for English, my mom was really proud of me. I hated wearing ties and skirts and was really nervous about going on stage. When I climbed up to receive the trophy, I tripped and fell: it was so embarrassing! Anyway, I got up and received it, and on my way down, I tripped again and broke the trophy! Since that day, my mom never lets me forget how clumsy I am,” she laughs.
Nearly four years ago, due to political instability in Zimbabwe, Mathira moved to Pakistan with her mother and sister, where she was immediately spotted by Vibe TV channel producer Babar Tajammul, who signed her up for a morning yoga programme. “I never planned a career in the media. I had hoped to one day become a psychologist or a gynaecologist. But I met Mr Tajammul, and since I’m a yogi – I learnt yoga when I was only six years old – we decided to do a yoga programme.”
Eventually that show led to her own talk show called “Love Indicator.” Mathira truly seems to enjoy her career, although she is well aware of her critics. “I don’t know why people like to talk so much rubbish. I do feel bad, but then I laugh like hell. The worst part about my career is that they love putting a tag on me. They don’t see who I am, or my background. They just say ‘she’s a bad girl.’” But “bad” as she may be, Mathira has a vision for a more open-minded Pakistan. “To be honest, Pakistan is frustrated. I believe we need to open our minds and we need people who will be a little bit of both – western and eastern. I’m not a proper Muslim as I’ve got a hundred sins on my head. But at least I don’t pretend to be a good Muslim when I’m really not.” When asked about how Pakistan has responded to her approach, she says, “I have managed to change some mindsets. People do hate me, they swear, they throw jootas at their TV, but they continue to watch me. The next day they tune in again to see what I’m wearing or what I’ll do on the show! This is Pakistan, you know. Agar aap ka naam hai, tau aap badnaam bhi hain. Our catwalk models as well as actresses wear bikinis and innocently get away with it. When our girls go abroad, they are the first ones to buy miniskirts. So I don’t believe that I need to change my wardrobe and myself for Pakistan. If Pakistan wants me, it should accept me.”
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