I’m only doing modeling for money & exposure: Zhalay
Sadia Malik

ISLAMABAD—Let’s face it: modelling brings in a lot of money in a really short time. I’m only doing it for the money and exposure. I haven’t taken it seriously and I don’t love it’. At a time when most newcomers to the fashion industry are struggling under intense competition, one entrant says she couldn’t give a damn about this business. What’s more, she is steadily making her way up the ladder despite her attitude. She is Zhalay Sarhadi.
With a spark in her eyes, Zhalay talks about her metamorphosis. “It’s hilarious. If you had seen me six years ago, you wouldn’t have recognized me. I was overweight, nerdy, depressed and living in Lahore, a place I hated. All I did there was stuff myself with food all day long.” So what led to her remarkable transformation? “Unbelievably, I got a modelling assignment, and even though I didn’t take it up, it got me thinking. When I came to Karachi, I started working on myself and in three months I had toned myself down.”
Zhalay, today, exudes something much more than glamour. Does it mean she has had a makeover? She brushes away the notion. “Not at all. I just carry myself in a certain way and I’ve gotten conscious of my appearance even more. It’s not a facade; I have moulded this change to my personality and I’m very comfortable with it.” Her new look has not gone by unnoticed, as she now appears in all the top fashion magazine. “Let’s face it: modelling brings in a lot of money in a really short time. I’m only doing it for the money and exposure. I haven’t taken it seriously at all and I don’t love it.” As to how she has managed to make her place in this field with such a brazen attitude, she says: “I got into modelling when ZQ, who is a very good friend of mine, introduced me to a couple of people.
She is looking for a break with major designers and photographers. “I don’t want to associate myself with one group,” she hints at Lahore’s on-off politics. And despite her relationship with the fashion industry, she loves the ramp: “It’s quick and it’s fun. All you need to do is show an attitude. Despite working extensively with stylists in Karachi, Lahore remains Zhalay’s preference. “Lahore is the hub of it all and if I get a good offer, I will definitely consider it.”
As far as the media is concerned, she has her ambitions crystal clear: “I definitely want to make a profession out of acting. It is my passion, besides singing. I have done many drama serials and two of them are still on air.” She sees herself as a “paid internee learning the do’s and don’ts of the field.” She is presently working for four soaps with more in the pipeline.
Her association with the media is certainly no coincidence. The late Zia Sarhadi was her grandfather and Khayyam Sarhadi, her uncle. However, despite being that pedigree, she says she has no obligations or pressures. “We are not very close to the part of my family who are associated with the media and my parents have always been very supportive of whatever I do. They want me to be successful in the career of my choice.”
She sketches out her point of view: “Around the world, acting is taught academically, and things that are taught later become careers. People here need to start taking acting professionally. In Pakistan, people don’t take you seriously when you tell them you’re an actor. It shouldn’t be like that”, she says. Despite an early foray into the media, Zhalay claims she has faced no major problems. “I have been very lucky that I got in at the right time.