Pakistani actress Iraj Manzooor
On the ramp, she is the ultimate diva – gorgeous, sensuous, seductive. But when the spotlight is turned off and the designer labels are back on the rack, Iraj Manzoor returns to a normal life and surrounds herself with family and friends. The quintessential supermodel, Iraj began her career in the early ’90s. Distinguishingly tall, a head-turner and très trendy with an aura that is hard to miss, she climbed to the top very fast but the mega success didn’t go to her head. Iraj is surprisingly centred and strives to maintain a balance in her life.
A free spirit, warm and down-to-earth, Iraj speaks with candour and earnestness as she sits cross-legged on the floor, pausing reflectively during our conversation, a far away look in her calm eyes. Not one to obsess about weight and looks, Iraj managed to hold her own in a field that she calls ‘disorienting’ and ‘superficial’ but extremely challenging at the same time.
In this interview with Newsline, Iraj Manzoor dissects the pros and cons of her stint in the world of glamour and glitz.
When I started my career around 1991, things weren’t that bad. You did not have to be part of any clique to succeed and find fame and fortune. However, it took me longer to move up the ladder, because I had to get business myself, make incessant calls here and there ... There was not much help available but the industry at that time was a lot easier to manoeuvre because it was literally like a family. Frieha [Altaf] was sweet enough to let me lead the catwalk on my first show, which was really overwhelming.
A lot of models fall into the stereotype, with hopes of gaining popularity and earning more if they become what is demanded of them, especially the Lahore models. They are groomed by someone else and told to look and act in a certain manner, so that most of them appear mass-produced. They lose their individuality and don’t have any sense of personal style. I have issues with that.
I have always tried to be true to myself. I appreciate creativity and I really believe in having a personal style, which I have developed and remain true to. I surround myself with people who allow you that space (to be who you are), and try to be around those who are creative and humane. And, of course, I’m close to Him (she points to the skies).
