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Juggun Kazim also known as Jay
Kazim, is a very talented and ambitious young woman.
She has worked in numerous Pakistani telefilms and even
embarked on the Canadian film scene. Not only is she
an admirable actress, she is also a model and TV host
for various shows airing on Pakistani channels. Read
on to learn how she got into acting and what her future
goals are…
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I would like to think that I’m a rather multifaceted
personality. From modeling to hosting to acting and
lately the random bit of journalism; I seem to want
to do it all. I just love the arts, and more specifically
the media. I’m one of those people that wake up
in the middle of the night because of having a dream
that could be converted into a scene. For me, this line
of work is more than a passion, it’s an obsession.
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I grew up in Cantonment, Lahore with an elder sister and
a younger brother. My mother is still alive, but my father
passed away 5 years ago. His murder was one of the most
traumatic experiences of my life. My own tiny family unit
is comprised of my two year old son, Hamza Ahmed and myself.
I am a single mother and adore my son to distraction;
he is my motivation to do everything and truly makes me
want to be a better person.
I went to Lahore Grammar School, and then to Kinnaird
College for my FA. After completing that, I went to Canada
to attend the University of Western Ontario where I did
my BA Honors in Media Information Technology and Sociology
with a minor in Psychology. One summer while in college,
I also did my CCNA 2.0 just for fun. I guess I was bored
and computers aren’t exactly rocket science, so
I decided to have fun and educate myself at the same time.
After college, I took a variety of courses in acting and
commercial modeling. I am also now planning to do my LLB
privately. I have to admit, I miss college and I love
to constantly educate myself; it makes me feel like I'm
still a kid. |
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When I was four, someone asked me what I wanted to be
when I grew up. My reply was “mein bara ho kay
actor banu ga.” At that age, I obviously hadn’t
quite realized that I was a girl, which of course came
along as a rude awakening at the age of thirteen.
My first commercial play was when I was fourteen years
old and the director was my best friend Mashal Peerzada.
I must say, it was one of the most fun theatre projects
I have worked on till date. However, I started my professional
acting and modeling career under the name ‘Jay
Kazim’ in Toronto. I was approached by Sutherland
Models in Canada to work as a ‘petite’ and
‘commercial’ model; because obviously I
am way too short for the ramp. I did two music videos
with them and then was approached my current Canadian
Agents, The Newton Landry Management. Sandie Newton
and Yanick Landry took me under their wing and started
sending me to auditions. I ended up doing a Diet Coke
Ad which ran for 2 seasons because it was so popular.
I also then did a few more commercials and theatre work,
and in the process also auditioned for the movie Pink
Ludoos. Never in my wildest imagination did I think
I would be chosen as the lead in this movie; but Allah
Mian was very kind to me and after only the 2nd stage
of auditions, I was offered the part. (You can google
me under ‘Jay Kazim’ and the rest of my
stage and acting work in Canada will come up.)
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My family didn't really approve of this line of work initially,
but now I think they have come to accept it and are secretly
a little proud of me. I had no major obstacles because
I have always been very independent in my behavior and
thought process. Also, once I had finished my degree from
college, my mother was pretty much okay with whatever
profession I chose to pursue. |
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I have never really considered myself to be a model.
I am essentially an actress and enjoy hosting. Hosting
is something I just fell into while I was pregnant,
and now I have to say I love acting and hosting just
as much. Though, I do have the soul of an actor. I host
predominantly to change people's narrow-minded perception
of the media industry and to promote positive social
change.
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I am mainly a print model, if you can call me a model
that is. Modeling is something I do just for fun; I
have never participated in fashion shows despite being
trained by Sutherland Models to walk the ramp. I just
think that at 5 feet 4 inches, I’d look rather
stupid walking the ramp. One should learn to work within
the limitations of one's body rather than make of fool
of themselves.
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A.My career in hosting started with the program Beanbag,
which I wrote and conceptualized for Business Plus.
After that, I hosted: CEO for Business Plus, Aaj Entertainment
Tonight for Aaj TV, Fashion Stop for Ary Digital, Sunday
Brunch for Aaj TV
My current programs on air are: Morning
with Hum Weekend Edition for Hum TV, Aik Din Juggun
Kay Saath for Vibe TV (Celebrity and Media Personalities
kay interview.), Honestly Speaking with Juggun Kazim
on PTV (Program deals with social issues within Pakistan)
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As of late, I have acted in various projects in Pakistan.
The ones I was most noted in 2007 were: Manosalva in
the character of Sheena for Hum TV, Sitam in the character
of Kiran for PTV and Piyasi in the character of Dolly
for Hum TV. I have also acted in a variety of series
and telefilms. Just recently my new serial aired on
ARY Digital by the name of Sher Dil, on which I play
the character of Neelum. I am now working on 3 serials,
Momal Productions ‘Saika,’ Shahid Zahoor's
'Chaat,’ Talking Filmein's serial and a television
soap that has yet to be titled. The most favorite character
I’ve played was Maya in 'Aik Pal,’ a telefilm
which I producted and which was directed by Mashal Peerzada.
The film has been selected by Hum TV for their telefilm
competition.
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Thank god I'm not a professional model! I just model for
fun. If you are tall and skinny, it’s easy to become
a model in Pakistan. However, it’s a lot tougher
to be as good of an actor as Nadia Jamil or Faisal Qureshi.
Twenty years ago I wouldn’t recommend this profession
to anyone, but now things have changed for the better
and that’s allowed a lot of people to enter this
industry on a more positive note. |
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The video was shot in Lahore at Bari Studios. It was
amazing to work with a team of such talented professionals
like DOP Neil Lisk and director Bilal Lashari. Within
the limited amount of technical facilities, they did
a fabulous job. The hair and makeup was done by Maram
and Abaru, and the wardrobe was provided by Rabya Butt
and Munib Nawaz. Basically, there was no way that things
could’ve gone wrong. It’s the team that
makes the production, not just the talent!
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People say that success goes to your head, but I wouldn’t
know since I am not even one hundredth as successful
as I aim to be eventually. Of course the fans, traveling
and glamour are all part of the package that comes with
acting, hosting and modeling. But it's not quite as
glamorous at it may seem. It's a lot of hard work and
effort at the end of the day. The drawbacks included
constant exhaustion, constant criticism and the fans
that sometimes decide to start stalking and harassing
you. All in all, I love it because I don’t get
caught up in the issues.
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I will hopefully have my book published and be working
on the next few. In terms of acting, I hope to be recognized
as the Shabana Azmi or Meryl Streep of Pakistan. As far
as hosting is concerned, Oprah is my idol! And of course,
I do plan to start producing feature films. Those are
the goals… I hope I can supersede them. |
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Learn to love yourself. When you can honestly love yourself,
only then can you love others unconditionally. Learn to
respect yourself and the opinions of others. Be a good
person; a clean and pure soul goes a long way. And ALWAYS
follow your dreams. One always gets those things that
they want the most in life… but you have to really
have to want it.
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