I’m really excited: Meesha Shafi

Pakistani model and singer Meesha Shafi is heading to India in the first week of November.
The reason: She has been cast in Mira Nair’s adaptation of “The Reluctant Fundamentalist”. In a telephonic chat from Pakistan, Meesha says, “I have been to India on numerous occasions. Just less than a month ago, I was in India. But this is the first time that I will be going to India to shoot a movie.”
Way back in Jan/Feb 2010, Meesha had auditioned for her part.“I went for a screen test in Lahore. Later on, I learnt that I had bagged a role. It’s not that I wanted to keep things under wraps. With all big projects, there is a time for announcing everything. That’s why I have begun talking about it now and not earlier.” Yet, Meesha is not at liberty to reveal anything about her role in this movie. “I’m really excited to be shooting with the likes of Shabana Azmi and Om Puri in the film. I know for a fact that Riz Ahmed will be shooting in Delhi. He is an integral part of the movie and hence, he will be shooting there full-time. As for the Hollywood stars, I can’t say anything,” she says. For this movie, Lahore is being completely recreated in Delhi. “I have been to both cities and I know how similar they look. It’s not just the greenery that is similar. Even the type of greenery is the same. The landscape is similar and there is a lot of pre-Partition architecture in both the cities,” she says.
Considering that she is a musician herself, is Mira using her musical expertise too? “Indirectly, I will be associated. Mira and I have had a discussion on how some of my works might be used in the movie’s soundtrack. However, I’ll not be able to say which tracks are being considered.” As for her India plans, Meesha says, “I will be in India to film for a few weeks.”